Mad World 2: Revelations
by Artemis Ambrose
Summary: Hope Lake has moved on from Arkham Asylum, and is content, until the day that the former ward of Bruce's comes into her life. He very quickly becomes intrigued with her, and tries to turn her against Bruce. Madness ensues, when former patients start coming for her as well. Will she survive, or will they drive her just as mad as they are?
1. Chapter 1

Hope Lake enjoyed running. It helped her clear her mind. She'd been running for a while, when she realised someone was running next to her. It was a man, a very good looking man. He smiled at her, and they stopped running.

"Hello." She said.

"Hey, sorry if I startled you, I didn't mean to. I've seen you running through here before, and I wanted to introduce myself. I'm Jason." He said.

She raised her eyebrows, as she looked at him.

"Do you do this often, _Jason_?" She asked.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"Do you startle unsuspecting runners, often?" She asked.

"Only the special ones." He said, with a smile.

"I'm sure." She said.

"So, do I get your name, or should I just make one up for you?" He asked.

She smiled.

"I don't know if I should tell you my name, for all I know, you could be a bad guy, a serial killer." She said.

"I'm not a serial killer." He told her.

"I'm sure that's what serial killers say too." She said.

"I promise you, I'm not a serial killer. I just wanted to meet you." He said.

"Oh, and that's not creepy at all." She said.

He laughed.

"I told you my name." He said.

"Yes, but, how do I know that's you're real name?" She asked.

"Jason Todd, it's my real name, I promise you." He said.

She studied him for a moment, then smiled.

"Hope Lake." She said, holding her hand out to him.

He put his hand in hers, and shook it.

"It's nice to meet you Hope. Would you like to jog with me?" He asked.

"You are very bold, you know that, right?" She asked.

"Is that a yes?" He asked.

She gave a smile, and shook her head.

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this." She said.

He grinned.

"I promise to be good." He told her.

"I must warn you, the outcome will be bad for you, if you try anything." She told him.

He laughed, and put his hands up, in surrender.

"I won't do anything, I swear." He told her.

She smiled.

"Fine." She said.

They started jogging. They talked as they ran. He asked questions about her, and she answered them.

The route that they'd taken, circled back around to the manor. At the front gate, she stopped, and turned to him.

"This is my stop. It was nice meeting you." She said.

"It was nice meeting you too Hope. I'm sure we'll run into each other again, soon." He told her.

She smiled, and gave a nod.

She went through the gate, and headed up to the front door. She walked inside, and shut the door. She slid her running shoes off.

"Hope, you're back!" Dick Grayson said, with a smile, as he came down the stairs.

She smiled up at him.

"Hello Dick. You're here early. Is there a problem?" She asked.

He stepped off of the last step and walked over to her.

"Everything is fine Hope. Bruce wanted me to let you know that a couple meetings ran late, and not to worry about him, hel'll be here as soon as he can." He told her, giving her a hug.

"He could have just called me, or texted." She said.

"He didn't want to disturb your run." He said.

"Back from your run Hope?" Alfred said walking into the room.

"Yes, I'm getting in the shower, then I need to get ready." She said.

"You should have more than enough time, it's Master Bruce I worry about. He tends to be late. A lot." Alfred said.

Hope smiled.

"Have faith in Bruce, Alfred, he'll make it." She said.

"I placed your dress in your room." Alfred said.

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a shower." She said.

She headed up the stairs, and to her room. Her dress was in it's garment bag, hanging up. She stripped on her way to the bathroom. She got in the shower, and quickly washed. She got out, dried off, and dried her hair. She wrapped the towel around her, and then straightened her hair. Once that was finished, she applied her make up.

She left the bathroom, and dressed. When it was on, she looked at her reflection in the full length mirror. The dress was beautiful. It was strapless, and floor length. It was white satin, with black lace over it. It was a ball gown.

When Bruce Wayne threw a party, it was a formal affair. She hoped that Bruce liked her dress. She went over to the dresser, and picked out a pair of diamond stud earrings. It was the pair that Bruce got her for her birthday last year. She put them in her ears. She found her heels, and slipped them on her feet. She took one last look at her reflection, then left the room. She headed down the stairs. She heard Bruce's voice, and she smiled.

"You made it." She said.

Bruce, Alfred, and Dick looked up at her.

"Alfred was worried." She said, walking over to him.

"He does that a lot. You look amazing." Bruce told her.

She smiled.

"Thank you." She said.

"Master Dick, and I shall make sure everything is ready." Alfred said.

Before Alfred walked away, he handed Bruce something.

"I have something for you." Bruce said.

"Bruce, you didn't need to get me anything. It's your birthday, not mine." She said.

"Stop it. I wanted to get you something." He told her.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"Thank you Bruce." She said.

It was a diamond necklace, that matched her earrings. He put it on her.

"Thank you, Bruce, I love it." She said, turning to face him.

He tucked her hair behind her ear, leaned in, and kissed her.

"Are you ready for your party?" She asked him.

"As I'll ever be." He said.

She laughed.

"You'll be fine, I'll be close, if you need a distraction." She told him.

"I might just take you up on that." He said.

She laughed, as he kissed her.

X*X*X

Hope was standing next to Bruce. Bruce had his arm wrapped around her waist, as he greeted his guests.

"How are you doing?" She asked, when there was a break in guests.

"I'm fine." He muttered.

She laughed.

"It'll be over before you know it." She told him.

He smiled, then leaned down to kiss her.

"Bruce, it's been too long!" A voice said.

Both turned to the newcomer. Hope could not believe who it was.

"Oliver Queen, how nice of you to come tonight." Bruce said.

Oliver's gaze drifted over to Hope. Oliver looked surprised to see her.

"Hello Oliver. How have you been?" Hope asked.

"I've been fine. How have you been?" Oliver asked.

Bruce looked from Hope to Oliver, and back.

"You two know each other?" Bruce asked.

Hope laughed.

"Bruce, how did you get Hope to one of these functions? She always refused me." Oliver said.

"She must like me more." Bruce said.

Hope rolled her eyes.

"Actually, you were more stubborn. I refused his invitations too. Bruce decided to go above my head, and talked to my boss." Hope said.

"Now, why didn't I think of that?" Oliver said.

"Maybe, I'm just smarter." Bruce said.

"I wouldn't say _that_." Oliver said.

A blonde woman hurried over to them. She looked a little flustered.

"Oliver, I'm sorry I'm late. I couldn't find a place to park, this place is huge, and I tore my dress." The woman said, frustrated.

Hope smiled.

"Felicity, I'd like you to meet Bruce Wayne. Bruce, this is Felicity Smoak." Oliver said.

Felicity looked embarassed.

"Mr. Wayne, It's a pleasure to be with you. I mean to be here. I mean, it's nice to meet you. I should stop talking now." Felicity said.

Hope liked this woman. She noticed the way Oliver was looking at Felicity. He liked her, a lot.

"It's nice to meet you Felicity. This is Hope, my girlfriend." Bruce said.

Hope felt her face grow warm. Bruce hadn't referred to her as his girlfriend before.

"It's nice to meet you Felicity. I think that I have something that will fit you, if you'll follow me." Hope said.

Felicity looked shoced.

"Oh no, I couldn't." Felicity said.

"Nonsense. We look to be the same size." Hope said.

"Are you sure?" Felicity asked.

Hope gave a nod.

"Of course." Hope said.

She gave Bruce a kiss, took Felicity's hand, and led her up the stairs.

"You know that you don't have to do this." Felicity said.

"I don't mind, really." Hope said.

They walked into her bedroom, and Hope let Felicity pick out something from her closet.

"So, how do you know Oliver?" Hope asked, sitting on the bed.

"I was the IT person at his company." Felicity said.

"Was?" Hope asked.

"I guess that you could say I was promoted. I know a lot about computers." Felicity said.

"How long have you two been together?" Hope asked.

Felicity didn't answer right away.

"Oliver and I aren't together." Felicity said.

"Why not? He likes you. You like him." Hope said.

"It's complicated. How do you know Oliver?" Felicity asked.

Hope smiled.

"Let's just say, Oliver has a type." Hope said.

Felicity poked her head out of the closet.

"You and Oliver?" Felicity asked.

Hope laughed.

"No. Not for a lack of trying on Oliver's part though. I don't like these kind of functions. Oliver sent me invite after invite, but I refused everytime. I knew Oliver, and his reputation, and I kept him at arms length. He eventually gave up." Hope said.

"How did you meet Bruce Wayne?" Felicity asked.

He threw a fundraiser for Arkham Asylum. He invited me. I declined. He never gave up though. One day, he showed up at my work, and managed to get my boss to order me to go to Bruce's next fundraiser." Hope said.

"And now you're his girlfriend. I wasn't aware he had _girlfriends_." Felicity said.

"I didn't either. I was a little suspicious at first as well. He was very stubborn, and managed to prove that he was serious about me." Hope said.

"I'm happy for you." Felicity said, coming out of the closet.

Hope smiled. Felicity looked great. She'd chosen a black dress, that was sleeveless, and swept the floor.

"You look amazing, and Oliver will love you in it." Hope said.

"Thank you. We should probably get back." Felicity said.

Hope smiled.

"Yeah, Bruce might actually send a search party." Hope said.

They left the room, as Alfred walked up to them.

"See, what did I tell you, a search party." Hope told Felicity.

"Master Bruce asked me to see if everything was okay." Alfred said.

"Thank you Alfred. Felicity found a dress, and we were just on our way back to the party." Hope said.

They followed Alfred back down stairs. Bruce and Oliver seemed to be waiting for them to return. Hope smiled at Bruce. He smiled, and never took his eyes off of her. She got down to him, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. He pressed his lips to hers.

"So, what do you think, how does she look?" Hope asked Oliver.

"You look amazing." Oliver told Felicity.

"See, I told you." Hope told Felicity.

"Thank you." Felicity said.

"Anytime." Hope said.

"Why don't we get a drink." Bruce said.

X*X*X

Bruce and Oliver were talking about business, and Felicity was right next to Oliver. Hope was mingling with guests, but never too far from Bruce's sight.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone. Someone she never thought would be at the party. She made her way over to the corner. She smiled as she walked up to the man.

"I didn't expect to see you here. Do you know Bruce?" She asked.

"You could say that. We haven't spoken in a while though, but I wouldn't have missed his party. So, you're dating Bruce. That must be tough." Jason told her.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"From my experience, Bruce kept relationships at arms length. The women couldn't handle him always being late, making up excuses why he has to suddenly leave, and never knowing where he goes." Jason told her.

"Bruce is a busy man. It takes a lot to run a company. It's understandable that he has to leave, or might run a little late." Hope said.

Jason smiled.

"Well, I guess that Bruce has finally found his perfect woman. Don't you ever wonder what he's doing, where he's going?" Jason asked, watching her closely.

"Not really, I'm sure if it's important, Bruce will let me know." She told him.

"You blindly trust him?" Jason asked.

"He's never given me a reason not to trust him." She said.

He gave a laugh.

"You _really_ are his perfect woman. I bet he has you on a very short leash." Jason said.

She shook her head.

"He's not abusive, if that's what you mean. He's a gentleman." She told him.

"That's not what I meant. I meant, he keeps a close eye on you, knows where you are, at all times." Jason said.

Hope raised a shoulder.

"He worries about me. He's relaxed a little since I left my job at Arkham." She said.

"You worked at Arkham?" Jason asked.

She gave a nod.

"I was a therapist." She said.

"So, why did you leave?" He asked.

She exhaled loudly.

"One of the inmates kidnapped me, and a fellow inmate. The inmate that had been taken, actually saved me. A couple weeks later, he kidnapped me as well. I decided to call it quits after that." She said.

"So, what do you do now?" He asked.

"Do you know Dick Grayson?" She asked.

He gave a laugh.

"Yes, I know Dick." Jason said.

"Well Bruce spoke to him, and Dick offered me a job, working at the circus." She said.

"You work at the circus, doing what?" He asked, in surprise.

"I guess the official title would be assistant. I run errands, take notes, make calls, be a therapist, if needed. I do a little bit of everything. It keeps me on my toes, but I enjoy it." She said.

He chuckled.

"Well, I may have to stop by the circus soon." He said.

"You'll enjoy the show. The performers are amazing." She said.

Suddenly, she felt the ground shake. She looked up at Jason, in confusion.

"Do you feel that?" She asked.

"Yeah. That is not a good sign. Something is coming." Jason said ominously.

Her heart skipped a beat. She turned, to see if she could find Bruce. He was making his way over to her. His jaw was set, and he almost looked angry. There was something else there as well. It almost looked like he was worried about something other than the shaking ground.

There was an explosion, and they flew away from each other. She hit a wall, and fell to the ground in a heap. Pain radiated throughout her body. She groaned, as she opened her eyes. The mansion was smoky, and destroyed. Guests were scattered, and freaking out. She didn't see Bruce anywhere.

Out of nowhere, someone was next to her. She looked up. It was Jason.

"Let's get you out of here." Jason said.

Jason wrapped his arms around her, and helped her to her feet.

"Bruce!" She gasped.

"Trust me, Bruce can take care of himself. I need to get you safe." Jason said.

"What happened?" She groaned.

"Nothing good." Jason said.

Jason helped her to the kitchen. He brought her to the pantry. Inside, he opened a hidden door, and helped her through. He shut the hidden door, and flipped a switch. Lights flickered on. They were in a secret passage way.

"You know Bruce more than you let on." She mumbled.

He gave a laugh.

"We need to keep moving. Come on." Jason said.

"Lead the way, you know the grounds better than I do, it looks like." She said.

He laughed again.

"I like you." He told her.

"Highlight of my life." She muttered.

"As it should be." He said.

"You're a little full of yourself, aren't you?" She asked.

"I've heard that one before." He said.

"I'm not surprised." She said.

They came to the end of the tunnel. Jason opened the door, and they walked into a room. She noticed that it was Bruce's office. Jason set her on the couch, and then locked the doors.

"So, what's the plan?" She asked.

He walked over to the couch. He sat on the arm of the couch, at her feet.

"I'm sure Bruce would be very upset, if anything were to happen to you. So, I guess, I'll have to keep an eye on you." He told her.

She studied him for a moment.

"Just how well do you know Bruce?" She asked.

He smiled at her.

"Well enough." He said.

"That's it? Not going to elaborate on that?" She asked.

He laughed.

"Maybe you should talk to Bruce about that." He said.

"Why can't you tell me?" She asked.

"Trust me, it will be better coming from Bruce." He said.

"You're not going to tell me?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"Fine. So what do you know about what happened tonight?" She asked.

"Someone blew that hole in the wall. I didn't see who it was though." He said.

"Oh joy, just what Bruce needed on his birthday. Who the hell would want to blow a hole in _Bruce's_ house?! This is insane!" She said.

"Maybe there was a breakout at Arkham, again." Jason said.

Dread filled her veins. What if Joker had broken out again? This was bad, she needed to find Bruce.

"Jason, we need to find Bruce." She said.

"I told you, Bruce can take care of himself. He will be fine." Jason said.

She shook her head.

"If there was a break out, then Joker is here, looking for me. He will kill Bruce, if he finds him first! Joker is obsessed with me, and knows about my relationship with Bruce. He thinks Bruce stole me from him, in some sick, twisted way." She said.

She pushed past the pain, and got to her feet. Jason got to his feet, as well. He put his hands on her shoulders.

"Calm down. I know for a fact that Bruce will be fine. Nothing will happen to him." Jason told her.

Suddenly, someone was at the office door. They tried opening it,, but didn't get too far. They tried forcing it open, but that didn't work either. Hope grabbed onto Jason.

"So, what now?" She whispered to him.

"It's not Bruce, he would have the key, and would've made himself known." Jason told her.

"What if it's the Joker?" She asked.

He smirked.

"I'll take care of Joker, don't worry about that." He told her.

She raised her eyebrows.

"Should I be worried?" She asked.

"No, I have everything under control." He told her.

"Somehow, that worries me more." She said.

"Have a _little_ faith in me." He told her.

"I just _met_ you." She said.

"And yet, it feels like we've known each other for years." He said.

"I wouldn't say _that_." She said.

Suddenly, the door exploded, and they were thrown from their feet. Hope hit the bookshelf, with a thud, and fell to the floor. Her body was throbbing in pain, and her head was spinning. She heard footsteps walking towards her. She groaned, as she opened her eyes. A man was crouched down next to her. She frowned, as her eyesight cleared. She had been wrong. It wasn't Joker.

"Oswald? What are you doing? Why are you out of Arkham?" She asked.

"Dr. Lake, it's wonderful to see you again. I've missed you. Have you missed me?" He asked, his eyes locked on her face.

"Oswald, why are you here?" She asked, dreading the answer.

He smiled down at her.

"I'm here for you Doctor." He told her.

Her heart sped up.

"Oswald, I'm not a doctor any longer, and I'm not going anywhere with you, but you're going back to Arkham." She told him.

"That's where you're wrong. You _will_ be coming with me." He told her.

He reached down, to pick her up. She cried out in pain.

"Sorry dear." He told her.

"Oswald, please, don't do this, it won't end well for you." She groaned, as he stood up.

"I have back up, if needed, and the Bat won't do a thing about it either. He won't jeopardise your safety, to bring me down. He told her.

He turned to leave, but stopped short, when he saw Jason standing in the way.

"Put her down Penguin, now." Jason ordered.

Oswald laughed. Hope whimpered in pain, from the movement.

"I don't think so. She's coming with me, and you're not going to stop me." Oswald said.

"No, but I will." A new voice said.

Oswald frowned.

"Nightwing, where's the Bat?" Oswald asked.

"Around. Now, put her down, and come quietly." Nightwing said.

"I'm not doing that. In fact, I'm going to walk right out the front door, and nobody is going to stop me." Oswald said.

"I'm not going to let you do that." Nightwing said.

"You won't hurt an innocent, just to get to me. She's already in pain, are you willing to hurt her even more?" Oswald asked.

To prove his point, he jostled her, and she cried out.

"Penguin, stop!" Nightwing said, holding his hand up.

"What would the headlines say about that?" Oswald said, with a smirk.

Nightwing held both hands up, in surrender.

"Are you really going to hurt her, willingly? If you really had any genuine feelings for her, you wouldn't do that to her." Nightwing said.

The smirk slid off Oswald's face.

"You would be hurting her, not me, if you don't let me walk out of here." Oswald said.

"I can't let you leave here, with her." Nightwing said.

"Are you willing to risk her?" Jason asked Nightwing.

"Good question." Oswald said.

"I'll deal with you later Jason. Now, Penguin, I'm not telling you again, put her down." Nightwing said.

"I don't think so." Oswald said.

Nightwing frowned.

"Hope, I'm sorry, this is going to hurt." Nightwing said.

"You _can't_ be serious!" Jason said.

"You're bluffing." Oswald said.

Nightwing tensed, to spring into action. Hope's eyes grew wide.

"Don't do it! You know what will happen!" Jason hissed at Nightwing.

Jason grabbed Nightwing's arm.

"Don't get in my way Jason." Nightwing said.

"I'm not letting you do it." Jason said.

"Stop me then." Nightwing said.

Hope gasped in pain, as Oswald shuffled back. Nightwing and Jason started fighting. Oswald laughed.

Oswald started inching his way towards the door. He got halfway there, when Hope was lifted, gracefully from Oswald's arms. Nightwing took Oswald down, as Jason slipped out the secret door, to the passageway.

Hope laid her head on his shoulder. Her energy was draining. Jason got to the end of the passage, and exited the pantry. They were in the kitchen once more.

"Jason, give her to me, and you can walk out of here."

It was Batman. Hope was confused. It sounded as if Batman thought Jason was one of the bad guys.

"Jason saved me, Batman. It was Oswald." Hope said.

"Jason, give her to me. Now." Batman said.

It was an order. It was evident in his tone. What the hell was going on?

Jason didn't move right away, but after a moment, he walked over to Batman.

"I wouldn't have let anything happen to her. I know exactly who she is to you. There was no need to worry." Jason said, putting Hope into Batman's arms.

"Leave, now, before I change my mind." Batman told him.

"A thank you would be nice." Jason muttered.

Batman just looked at Jason.

"Too much to ask, I guess." Jason muttered, as he turned to go.

"Thank you."

"Now I've seen _everything_." Jason said.

Hope's head was starting to spin, again.

"Go Jason!" Batman yelled.

Jason turned, and hurried away.

"Batman, we need to find Bruce." Hope said.

"Bruce is with Alfred. They're both fine." Batman said.

He brought her up to her bedroom, and laid her on the bed.

"Try to get some sleep. I'll make sure you get taken care of." Batman told her.

Her eyes were dropping closed.

"Thank you Batman." She mumbled, as she drifted off to sleep.

X*X*X


	2. Chapter 2

Hope had a restless sleep. She couldn't seem to stay asleep. Her energy was drained, so she wasn't awake for long.

When she awoke the next morning, she found Bruce sitting in a chair, next to her, and holding her hand.

"How are you feeling?" Bruce asked.

"Like I've been hit by a bus." Her voice was raspy.

His mouth twitched, and something about that felt familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"It seems like your humor is still intact." He said.

"I have to take my mind off the pain somehow." She said.

He squeezed her hand gently.

"You have a couple cracked ribs, and bruising. I'll go get you something for the pain. You have visitors waiting to see you. Are you up to see people?" He asked.

"Sure." She said.

He gave a nod, and left the room. She tried switching positions, but it was too painful.

There was a knock on the door, then it opened. Dick walked in. She smiled at him.

"Hey you. How are you doing?" Dick asked, walking over to her.

"Sore, but over all, I'm fine." She said.

He smiled.

"Yeah, I heard what happened. So, Penguin, huh?" Dick said.

She exhaled loudly, then winced in pain. Dick sat in the chair, and took her hand in his.

"Yeah. He was starting to develope feelings for me, when I was his therapist. Apparently, he was still harboring those feelings, even after I left." She said.

"I'm sorry." He said.

She squeezed his hand.

"It's not your fault, Dick, I'm fine. Nightwing took care of Oswald, while Jason got me to Batman." She said.

"Jason?" Dick said.

"Yeah, I met him while I was running, then he was at the party. He seemed to know you and Bruce, but he wouldn't go into detail." She said.

"Yeah, you should probably talk to Bruce, about Jason." Dick said.

She frowned.

"That's what Jason said. So, what happened to you last night?" She asked.

"I got knocked out for everything after the first blast." He said.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay." She said.

"I'm fine, and I'm giving you three weeks, paid vacation. No arguments." He told her.

She rolled her eyes.

"I guess, if there's no other options." She said.

"There's not. Now, I should go, I have a meeting to get to." He said.

"Okay. Hey, is Oliver still here, or did he leave?" She asked.

"Queen? Yeah, he's still here, he wanted to see you before he leaves. Do you want me to send him in?" He asked.

"Yes, please. Thank you Dick." She said.

He brought her hand to his lips, and kissed it.

"No problem Hope, just get better soon." He told her.

"I'm sure Alfred will make sure I'm taken care of." She said.

Dick left. Moments later, Oliver walked in. He sat down in the chair Dick had just vacated.

"Hey, I wanted to make sure you were okay, before I went back home." He said.

She smiled.

"I'm fine. Bruce will make sure I don't get out of this bed, before I'm ready." She said.

Oliver laughed.

"Yeah, that sounds like Bruce. I was extremely surprised to see you at the party, and shocked to hear that you were _dating_ him. You teased, and we flirted, but you never gave in. Bruce must have done something huge to grab your attention." Oliver said.

She smiled.

"He's more stubborn, annoying, and resourceful, than you were. Plus, it didn't hurt that he has friend in high places." She said.

"If I knew that was all it took, then it would be very different now." He said.

"Felicity is amazing. I like her." She said.

He smiled.

"Yeah, she's saved my ass a few times." Oliver said.

"She likes you, just as much as you like her." She said.

"I know." He said quietly.

She studied him for a moment.

"You _really_ like her, don't you?" She asked.

He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to, it was written all over his face.

"You _love_ her? Oliver, you need to tell her that." She said.

"She already knows." He said.

"Then what is the problem?" She asked.

Oliver exhaled loudly.

"It's not that easy. I have a lot of enemies, I couldn't take it if something were to happen to her." He said.

"That's crap. If she makes you happy, then you should be with her. You deserve to be happy Oliver." She said.

"She could get hurt." He said.

"She could get hurt, even if she's not with you. Wouldn't you rather be around to protect her?" She asked.

Before he could answer, the door opened, and Bruce walked in. Hope smiled up at him, her attention completely on Bruce. He had some pain pills, and a glass of water, for her.

"Hope, it was great seeing you again, I hope you feel better soon. If you're ever in Starling City, look me up." Oliver said, standing up.

"Okay. Say bye to Felicity for me." She said.

Oliver gave a nod, shook Bruce's hand, and left the room.

"Here, this should help." He said.

He handed her the pills, and water, and she quickly took them. He set the water on the bed side table.

"So, what do you have planned for today?" She asked.

"I haven't checked my schedule yet." He said.

"How long do I get to keep you for?" She asked.

He studied her for a moment, then took her hand in his. He squeezed gently.

"Let me make a couple of calls, and I'll see what I can do." He said.

She smiled.

"Okay." She said.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Try to get some sleep." He told her.

He kissed her, and then left the room.

About five minutes later, Alfred came in, and started fussing over her. He didn't leave, until Bruce returned. Once Alfred left, Bruce kicked off his shoes, and crawled into bed next to her.

"Will you tell me about Jason?" She asked quietly.

She felt him stiffen ever so slightly. His face showed no emotion though. He didn't speak, and she wasn't sure if he'd tell her.

"Both Jason and Dick told me to ask you." She said.

"Where did you meet him?" He asked.

"On my run before the party. I was actually surprised to see him at the party. He said that he wouldn't have missed your birthday, for the world." She said.

"What else did he tell you?" He asked.

"That you've had relationship problems in the past, and that I'm the perfect woman for you." She said.

"He told you that?" He asked.

"Yes, why? How do you know him?" She asked.

"Jason was a ward of mine. I took him in shortly after Dick left. I tried helping him, saving him, but I was too late. He was gone before I could get to him." He said.

"He's back now, maybe it's not too late." She said.

"I'm worried it might be." He said.

"I don't know about that. He showed up. Even if it did get blown to crap, he came to see you for your birthday. There's still a chance. Don't give up on him just yet." She said.

"I'll keep that in mind. So, was that all he said?" He asked.

"He said something about possibly stopping by to catch a show at the circus. That's about all, Penguin showed up, and tried taking me with him." She said.

"Apparently, he broke out two weeks ago, and no one had been able to find him." He said.

"Batman couldn't?" She asked.

"I guess not." He said.

"That's surprising. Maybe Batman's attention is somewhere else." She said.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I don't know, maybe he's working on something bigger than an escaped Arkham patient, like someone is trying to take over the world. Or maybe, he got a girlfriend." She said.

"A girlfriend?" He asked.

"Maybe. He is a man, right? He has emotions, whether or not he shows them. He has needs. Why couldn't he have a girlfriend?" She asked.

"Would it be wise, with all of his enemies out there?" He asked.

She thought for a moment.

"Batman isn't stupid. He wouldn't let his enemies get that close to him, to know about her. She would be well protected." She said.

"I never thought of it like that. How much thought have you given that?" He asked.

She smiled.

"Maybe a little. Why? Are you jealous of Batman, Bruce?" She joked.

"Of course not." He said.

She smiled.

"You don't have any reason to be jealous, Bruce, I'm with you." She told him.

He leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers.

"I'm not jealous of Batman." He whispered.

She smiled again.

"Of _course_ not." She said.

"You should get some sleep. We're going to be moving into the penthouse, until the hole in the side of the manor is patched up, so you'll need your strength." He told her.

"Subtle." She said.

He kissed her again.

"Go to sleep." He said.

She smiled, but closed her eyes, as he told her. He started running his fingers through her hair. The darkness consumed her shortly after that.

X*X*X

 _Hope was running. The sun was shining, and warming her, as she ran from the manor. It was a beautiful day. She saw a figure standing yards in front of her. As she got closer, she realised it was Jason. He was waiting for her. When she got up to him, she stopped. He pulled her to him, and wrapped his arms around her._

 _"I won't let anything happen to you. I won't let him get you." Jason told her._

 _He leaned down, and kissed her._

 _"Jason, no, he'll kill you." She told him._

 _"Maybe, but if I fall, he's going down with me. He won't touch you." Jason said._

 _He kissed her again._

 _"Jason!" A voice boomed._

 _"Bats, how nice of you to join us." Jason said._

 _"Jason, let her go. Forget about him." Batman said._

 _"I'm going to do what you couldn't do, what you should have done, in the first place. Stay here with her. Make sure she is safe." Jason said._

 _Jason pushed Hope to Batman. He caught her in his arms." Jason ran._

 _"He can't do this, Joker will kill him! Why is he going after Joker?! What's going on?! Tell me the truth! You owe me at least that! Please!" She told him._

 _"I'll stop him. Stay here." Batman told her._

 _Before she could stop him, he was gone._

 _"You've got to be kidding me!" She growled._

 _"Ah, Doll face, you're just as beautiful as I remember. Did you miss me?"_

 _Hope's heart skipped a beat, as she felt her blood run cold. She turned, and saw Joker standing in front of her.._

 _"No." She gasped._

 _He laughed._

 _"You shouldn't be so surprised to see me. I told you I'd get out." Joker said._

 _"No." She said._

 _He walked closer to her. She couldn't move, frozen in place. He placed a hand on her throat._

 _"You won't get away from me this time." Joker told her._

 _He squeezed her neck, lifted her into the air, and slammed her down onto the ground. She cried out in pain, as Joker placed his other hand around her neck. She wrapped her hands around his wrists, trying to pull his hands off her neck. He squeezed tighter. She gasped for air, but he was quickly cutting the air off._

 _"Stop!" She gasped._

 _Her vision was starting to go dark._

 _"No!" A voice yelled._

 _It was Bruce. She was about to die in front of him._

Hope's eyes shot open, as she gasped for air, and began coughing. Pain coursed through her, as she tried getting enough air in her burning lungs. She put her hands to her throat. She realised Bruce was next to her, speaking to her.

"Bad dream." She gasped.

"It's okay, it's over now. I'm right here, nothing will happen to you." Bruce told her, wrapping his arms around her.

She whimpered in pain, as she buried her face into his chest. She felt tears fall from her eyes, and dampen his shirt.

"Joker escaped Arkham, and came after me. This time he killed me. In front of you." She said.

"I will never let that happen to you." He told her.

"It felt so real." She said.

"It's okay, I'm right here." He whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Thank you." She whispered.

He kissed the top of her head again.

About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Alfred walked in.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Master Bruce, but the car is ready, whenever you are." Alfred said.

"Thank you Alfred." Bruce said.

Alfred gave a nod, and left again.

"I had a bag packed for you, for the penthouse. Whenever you're ready to go, we can head over." Bruce told her.

"Okay, let's go." She said.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes. So, how are we doing this? I doubt I'll be able to make it to the car." She said.

"I'll be as gentle as I can , but it's going to be painful." He told her.

He got off the bed, and walked around to her side.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yeah, let's do this." She said.

She took a deep breath, as he picked her up in his arms. She groaned in pain.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"It's not your fault." She said, through clenched teeth.

Bruce left the room, and carried her down the stairs. She closed her eyes, and tried to focus on her breathing. Every step he walked down was like a stab of a knife to her ribs.

When he laid her down in the car, it felt like she was being cut in half. It was a little less painful during the car ride. It was torture though, when they had to get out again.

Bruce got her out of the car, and set her in a waiting wheelchair. She wrapped her arms around her taped up ribs. They were throbbing.

Bruce wheeled her over to the elevator. They rode up to the penthouse. When the doors opened, he wheeled her inside. He brought her through the living room, and into the bedroom. He transferred her from the wheelchair, to the bed. He sat next to her, and ran his fingers through her hair.

"You're safe here. Just rest, and get better." He told her.

"Are you leaving?" She asked.

"I'll be back, I promise. Alfred will be here, if you need something, and Dick might stop by, to check in on you." Bruce said.

She smiled.

"He's sweet. Be careful, and I'll see you when you get back." She said.

He smiled down at her.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." He said.

"I'll miss you." She whispered.

He leaned down, and kissed her.

"I'll be back." He said.

He kissed her once more, then left the room. She noticed that it was getting dark out. She must have slept longer than what she thought. She found a TV remote, and turned the TV on, then turned a light on. The news was on. They were talking about what had happened at Bruce's party. Penguin's picture came on the screen, then a picture of her and Bruce was shown next to Penguin. She frowned, as she put a hand on her ribs.

She felt a breeze. She looked over at the window. It was open. Had it always been that way? She couldn't remember. Her heart sped up. What if Joker had found her?

"Calm down, sweetheart, it's just me." A voice said.

She jumped, and cringed in pain.

"Jason, you can't be doing that! Every little movement kills." She gasped.

He walked over to her, and sat on the bed next to her.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He told her.

"How did you get up here?" She asked.

He smiled.

"Maybe one day I'll tell you my secrets, but not today, I'm sorry." He said.

"What are you doing here Jason? Bruce left. I'm not sure when he'll be back." She said.

"That's good to know. I'll have to keep an eye out, on my way out of here. I'm not here to see Bruce. I wanted to see how you're doing." He said.

The kiss from her dream came to the front of her mind.

"I'm in a ton of pain, I'm having nightmares that Joker is killing me, but I'm still alive, and Oswald never got me. Thanks to you, by the way. You got me away from him." She said.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't let him take my unicorn. Did Bruce tell you where he was going?" Jason asked.

"No." She said.

"And doesn't that bother you?" He asked.

"Why would it?" She asked.

"He could be doing _anything_." He said.

"Like what? What would Bruce be doing, other than work? Cheating? I don't think so. I've given him no reason to. He's given me no reason to doubt his fidelity. Are you trying to turn me against Bruce?" She asked.

"You don't know anything about Bruce, how can you trust him?" Jason asked.

"I trust that Bruce will tell me what he wants me to know, in his own time. I'm not going to push him." She said.

Jason gave a laugh, as he took her hand in his.

"You _are_ his perfect woman. The sad part is that he doesn't realise what he has." Jason said.

She felt her face get warm, and wanted to break eye contact, but couldn't.

"I'm not going to make Bruce choose me, over his work. He has responsibilities. He's working, that's the only reason he's not here." She told him.

"That's one way to put it." He said.

She frowned.

"What are you doing here, Jason?" A voice asked, from the shadows.

Jason smirked.

"I was wondering if you would show up." Jason said.

Jason brought her hand up to his lips, and kissed her knuckles. He stood, and faced Batman.

"You need to leave, before I call Gordon." Batman told Jason.

"And you need to open your eyes." Jason said, then went through the open window.

She didn't know how to process what he just did.

"He'll be fine, he tends to land on his feet." Batman said.

She looked at Batman.

"I don't know why you don't trust him, but he wasn't here to hurt me. He even got me away from Oswald." She said.

"He was going to take you, with him, off the grounds." He told her.

"Are you sure about that?" She asked.

"Yes, I know Jason. I know what he is capable of. You do not. He can be charming, when he wants something." Batman told her.

"I don't believe he would have done anything to hurt me." She said.

Batman finally came out of the shadows, and walked over to the bed. He paused a moment, then took Jason's spot next to her. He hesitated, then took her hand in his.

"Jason is not who you think he is. If he comes to see you again, please be cautious around him." Batman told her.

"I will be careful." She told him.

He gave a nod.

"Thank you. How is the pain?" He asked.

"It feels like knives are stabbing me." She said.

Batman pulled something from his belt.

"A friend of mine gave me these, to give to you, for the pain. These should help." He told her.

He pulled a little white pill out. She hesitated.

"Should I be questioning this? This pill could be anything." She said.

"You think I would do something to hurt you?" He asked.

She looked into his eyes. Batman didn't hurt innocent people. She took it, and washed it down with water. She noticed his lip twitch. That familiar feeling washed over her.

"Of course I trust you." She said.

He gave a nod.

"It should kick in shortly." He told her.

"Good. Is Joker still in Arkham?" She asked.

He squeezed her hand.

"Yes. Let me worry about Joker. You just worry about getting better." He told her.

He stood, and headed for the door.

"Please be careful out there." She told him.

He paused for a moment. He gave a short nod, then melted into the shadows. She could feel the effects of the pill start taking affect. She turned everything off, and tried to get a little more sleep. She hoped they would be Joker free. She closed her eyes, and enjoyed the pain free time she had. Slowly, she started to drift off.

X*X*X


	3. Chapter 3

Hope was healing quicker than expected. She could finally walk around, with minimal pain. She still had to take it easy though.

Dick gave her a full month off, so she could heal properly. At this rate, she didn't think she'd need the full month. Bruce, however, wouldn't let her return to work, until she was completely healed, and two weeks wasn't enough time.

*X*

Hope had just gotten out of the shower. She dried off, then towel dried her hair. She put her black silk robe on, then headed back to the bedroom. Bruce was working late, again, and she had decided to make it an early night. She stopped short, when she saw Jason leaning up against the wall.

"You do know that you can come to the door, like a normal person, right?" She asked.

He smiled.

"I prefer the window." He told her.

She rolled her eyes.

"Why are you here Jason?" She asked.

He walked over to her.

"I was just checking in on my unicorn." He said.

"I'm fine, Jason. I think I'm almost fully healed." She said.

"So, is Bruce working, again?" He asked.

"Running a company isn't easy." She said.

He shook his head.

"Will you ever stop defending him?" He asked.

"Not likely." She said.

He gave a chuckle, then placed his hand on the side of her face, and ran his thumb over her lip.

"That's too bad." He said.

She was on high alert, with how close he was to her.

"Jason." She whispered.

He smiled at her.

"I'm not going to do anything." He told her.

He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I should be going anyways, Bats will probably show up any moment. He's not too fond of me showing up here." Jason said.

He brought her hand to his lips, and kissed her knuckles, like he always did before he left her. He slipped out the window. She shook her head. She went over to the dresser, and grabbed her brush. She brushed her hair, put the brush back, and caught a very slight movement of air. She smiled.

"You missed him. He's already gone." She said.

She turned, and found Batman right in front of her.

"I know, I saw him leave." He said.

"He was checking to see how I was doing." She said.

"You seem to be healing well." He said.

"I am. I'm hoping to be fully healed sooner than expected. There's not much pain anymore." She said.

"Good." He said.

She wrapped her arms around her ribs, and looked up at him.

"Is Joker still in Arkham?" She asked.

"Yes. He is under surveilance, just in case anything happens." He told her.

She gave a nod.

"Good." She said.

"Hope, I won't let anything happen to you." He told her.

"I appreciate it, but you should worry about more important people." She said.

"I help anyone that is in trouble." He said.

"I'm not in trouble right now, but you're here." She said.

He put his hand on the side of her face.

"I had to make sure." He said, quietly.

She closed her eyes, and leaned in to his touch. It was almost calming. She placed her hand on his.

"I'm safe, so, you should go protect the city. They need you more than me, right now." She whispered.

"Hope." He muttered.

She sighed.

"Go ahead, I'm going to get some rest. I'll be fine." She told him.

His hand slipped from her cheek, and by the time she opened her eyes again, Batman was gone.

She took a deep breath, then got into a pair of shorts, and a tank top. She got into bed, and turned the bedside lamp off. She closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

X*X*X

When she woke up, Bruce was in bed, next to her. She hadn't felt him get in. She smiled, and shifted closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her, and she soon fell back to sleep.

It didn't last long though. Alfred knocked on the door. She smiled as she felt Bruce bury his face in her hair. He pulled her closer, and Alfred walked in.

"Master Bruce, Mr. Fox is here. He says that he must speak with you." Alfred said.

Bruce groaned.

"Alfred, it's too early." Bruce muttered.

"Master Bruce, he says it's urgent." Alfred said.

Hope turned over, and looked at him.

"Fox came all this way, it must be important. You should go speak with him." She told him.

"You're killing me." He grumbled.

"Fine, then I'll go speak with Fox, and you can stay in bed." She told him.

She sat up, and went to get out of the bed. Out of nowhere, she was on her back, and Bruce was smiling down at her.

"I'll take care of Fox." He told her.

She smiled.

"I thought that might motivate you." She said.

"I will let Mr. Fox know." Alfred said.

Alfred left, and Bruce leaned down, and kissed her.

"I'm going to visit Dick, while you have your meeting with Fox." She told him.

"Now?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah. I haven't seen him in a while, and I miss the show." She said.

"Alfred will take you, he'll want to see Dick as well." Bruce said.

"Maybe, if you get done early, you could stop by too. I'm sure Dick would love to see you." She told him.

He smiled down at her, and ran his fingers through her hair.

"I'll see what I can do." He told her.

She smiled.

"That's all I ask." She said.

He gave a small chuckle, then kissed her again. He put off going to speak with Fox, by kissing her. After a few minutes, she put her foot down, and made him get out of bed. He pouted, and she laughed. She got out of the bed as well, and started getting dressed. She chose a summer dress. It was black. She brushed her hair, and slid on her black ballerina flats. She took one last look at her reflection. Bruce came up behind her, and she turned to face him.

He had on a charcoal black suit, with a black shirt, and tie. She momentarily forgot how to breathe. She almost forgot how to form a thought. She cleared her throat.

"Do you think Fox would mind waiting a little longer?" She asked.

He laughed, and gave her a kiss.

"Too late now." He said.

"Later then." She said.

"Later." He said.

He pressed his lips to hers again.

"I guess we should go." She said.

He took her hand in his, and they left the room. Fox was sitting in one of the chairs. He stood, when he saw them. He smiled.

"Mr. Wayne, Miss Lake." Fox said.

Hope smiled. She walked up to him, and hugged him.

"Hello Lucius. I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Bruce was very distracting." She said.

Fox laughed.

"I can understand why." Lucius said.

She felt her face get warm.

"You're sweet. I guess I'll get going. You two enjoy the meeting, and Lucius, try to keep him out of trouble." She said.

"I'm not sure if that is entirely possible, Miss Lake." Fox said.

"I'll be fine. Tell Dick I said hello." Bruce said.

She smiled at him.

"I'll see you in a while." She told Bruce.

She kissed him, then went to find Alfred.

"Alfred, Bruce thought you might want to bring me to see Dick." She said.

"I would love to." Alfred said.

She smiled.

They headed for the outskirts of Gotham.

Alfred parked, and they got out. They headed inside, to Dick's office. She knocked, then went inside.

"Hope? Alfred? What are you guys doing here? Aren't you supposed to be resting?' Dick asked.

"I'm almost completely healed, besides, Bruce had a meeting with Fox. I figured that I would come see you. Bruce may stop by, if he has some free time." She said.

X*X*X

Hope and Alfred had spent the whole day with Dick, and Hope realised that it was getting late. She excused herself, to go to the bathroom, and then they would leave.

She used the bathroom, washed her hands, then exited.

"Hey sweetheart. How's it going?" A voice behind her said.

She spun around.

"Jason, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"I heard a whisper that you were here. I thought Bruce had you on house arrest. Did he loosen the leash for a night?" Jason asked.

"Just because he wants to make sure I heal correctly, does not mean he has me on a leash, or on house arrest." She told him.

"Bruce hasn't changed that much." He said.

"Maybe, you don't know him like I know him." She said.

He smiled.

"Don't you get lonely, being by yourself all the time?" He asked.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked.

He moved closer to her, and put his hand on the side of her face.

"You shouldn't have to be alone, ever. He doesn't deserve you. I wish you could see that." He said.

She shook her head.

"Jason, you're not going to change my mind about Bruce. So, please, stop." She said.

He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, then opened his eyes again.

"He is going to hurt you one of these days, and I just don't want to see that happen." He told her.

"I'm not glass, I won't break, I'll be fine. Bruce wouldn't do that." She said.

"But you don't know Bruce." He said.

"I know him better than you might think." She told him.

He raised his eyebrows, in surprise.

"I very much doubt that." He said.

She shook her head.

"Jason, please, stop. I can't have you coming around, if you're going to screw with my mind about Bruce, just because you don't like that I'm with him. So you have to make a choice. Either stay away from me, or stop trying to turn me against Bruce." She told him.

"I want you to understand who Bruce _really_ is, but I will try to keep my thoughts to myself, about Bruce." He told her.

"Thank you." She said.

He smirked, as he took a step away from her. He brought her hand to his lips, and kissed her knuckles.

"I'll see you around sweetheart." He told her.

He turned, and left. She exhaled loudly, and pinched the bridge of her nose. She had a bad feeling about Jason. She shook her head, and turned around. She gasped, when she saw Bruce standing there. He smiled.

"You startled me!" She said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean for you to be startled. Is everything okay?" Bruce asked.

She exhaled loudly, and gave a nod.

"It is now. I just had to lay down some boundaries. I'm so happy that you were able to make it. Have you seen Dick yet?" She asked.

"Yes, he told me where you were. I wanted to see if I could find you.' He said.

She smiled up at him.

"I'm glad to see you." She said.

She walked over to him.

"We can stick around a little longer, if you want to spend some time with Dick, I'm sure he would like that." She said.

He studied her for a moment, but didn't say anything. He just stared at her. She raised her eyebrows.

"Bruce?" She said.

"I'm fine." He said.

"We don't have to stay if you don't want to. I just thought since you and Dick don't get to see each other that much, that you two would want to catch up." She said.

He smiled down at her. He surprised her yet again with his quickness. He pulled her in his arms, and pressed his lips to hers. It took a moment to process what had happened.

"Does this mean you want to leave?" She asked, breathlessly.

He laughed.

"We'll go, after we speak to Dick." He told her.

She smiled, and nodded.

"Let's go then." She said.

He kissed her again.

"We'll make it quick." He said.

She giggled.

"If you insist." She said.

"I'm sure Dick will understand." He told her.

He kissed her again, then went to find Dick and Alfred. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and pulled her closer, as they walked. She wrapped her arm around his waist.

Dick smiled brightly, when he saw them come in.

"You found her." Dick said.

"I told you he'd show up." She said.

"You did. So, are you guys heading out?" Dick asked.

Hope felt her face get warm.

"Yes, Hope and I have some unfinished business, that we would like to finish." Bruce said.

Hope bit her lip, to keep from smiling like an idiot.

"I understand, have fun." Dick said.

Hope hugged Dick, then they headed outside. Bruce grabbed Hope's hand, in his, and led her to his car.

"Go ahead Alfred, I'll bring Hope." Bruce said.

"Very well sir. I'll see you both, at the penthouse." Alfred said.

Bruce walked Hope over to the passenger side. He pressed her up against the car. He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"So, unfinished business, huh?" She asked, with a smile.

"Don't we? Unless, you don't want to." He said.

"I never said _that_." She said.

He laughed, then kissed her. Everything else fell away. All too soon, for her liking, Bruce pulled out of the kiss.

"We should get going then." He told her.

He opened her door, and she got in. He got behind the wheel, and headed for the penthouse. In record time, Bruce made it to the penthouse. They went up, and he took her hand in his. She said a quick hello to Alfred, as Bruce pulled her to the bedroom. He shut the door, as he took his jacket and tie off. She walked over to him, and helped him unbutton his shirt. When she finished, she slid it off his shoulders. It fell to the floor. Bruce grabbed the skirt of her dress, and pulled the dress off of her. He let it drop from his hand, to the floor. Bruce put his hand to the back of her neck, and pressed his lips to hers. Hope undid his belt, unzipped him, and he slid his pants down to his ankles. He stepped out of them, then picked Hope up. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her over to the bed. His knees hit the bed, and they fell into bed.

X*X*X


	4. Chapter 4

Hope had been back to work for a month, and her life was pretty much back to normal. Any thoughts of Penguin and Joker had slid to the back of her mind. Even Jason hadn't been around since the night she'd visited Dick at the circus.

Bruce was staying as long as he could, but was still getting called out, about various projects his company was immersed in.

One night, she was sitting on the bed, in her black robe, watching TV. The news was on. They were talking about Batman. She smiled. Batman was quite the force to be reckoned with, by the villains of Gotham.

A commercial came on, and Hope went out to the kitchen. They were still at the penthouse. The manor would be completed in a few days.

Alfred was putting an over coat on.

"I have something I've been asked to do. I'll be gone for a while. Will you be okay here?" Alfred asked.

She smiled.

"I'll be fine Alfred." She said.

"I could call Master Dick, if you would like company." Alfred said.

She shook her head.

"No, thank you, I think that I'm just going to make it an early night. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." She said.

"You are a part of this family now, of course I'm going to worry about you." Alfred told her.

She smiled, and gave him a hug.

"Thank you Alfred." She whispered.

"Anytime. You are good for Master Bruce. I am glad you decided to give him a chance." Alfred said.

She laughed.

"He was stubborn, and wouldn't take no for an answer. At some point, he grew on me." She said.

Alfred laughed.

"I think it's safe to say you've grown on Master Bruce as well." Alfred told her.

"You believe so?" She asked.

"I know so, trust me, you've been starting to break through his walls." Alfred said.

"Thank you Alfred. You should get going, you have things you have to do. Be careful out there." She said.

"I will." Alfred said.

She gave him one last hug, then he left. Hope poured herself a small glass of water, and drank it. She quickly washed the glass, and set it out to air dry. She headed back to the bedroom.

She got halfway to the bed, when she felt as if something was off. She stopped in her tracks. She was on high alert. She noticed the window was open. Her brain started going through everyone that could possibly have opened it.

She felt the air move behind her. She spun around, and raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"This is a surprise. I haven't seen you in a while. I thought you weren't going to be coming around any longer." She said.

"I couldn't stay away from my unicorn any longer." He told her.

He closed the space between them, fairly quick. He had a smirk on his lips, and his eyes were locked on hers.

"Why are you here, Jason?" She asked.

"I needed to see you again." He whispered, as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Why? What do you want from me?" She asked.

He smirked.

"You don't want the answer." He said.

"Yes, I do." She said.

He smiled.

"Okay then. Let me show you." He said.

He put his hand on the back of her neck, and kissed her. She froze. She was having trouble thinking straight. She had been caught off guard. Her mind finally snapped on, and she pushed him away from her. She held her finger up.

"No. You can't do that. Not to me. If that is all you want, then you can just leave now." She told him.

"You have no idea who he is." Jason said.

"Maybe, I don't care, did you ever think that?" She asked.

"I don't believe that." He said.

She shook her head.

"I think you need to leave." She told him.

He took her hand in his.

"I don't believe you." He said.

"She told you to leave, Jason."

Hope looked past Jason, and saw Batman standing in the darkness. Relief washed over her. Her eyes went back to Jason's.

"Now Jason! Do not make me ask you again." Batman threatened.

Jason gave her a smile, and let her hand slip out of his. She took a step away from Jason. As she did, Batman lunged at Jason.

Batman threw Jason up against the wall, and pinned him there. Hope could feel the anger coming off of Batman, in waves.

"Never come here again. If you do, I will turn you over to Gordon myself." Batman yelled.

Hope's heart sped up. Jason looked from Batman, to Hope.

"Open your eyes." Jason said.

Hope blinked in confusion, as Batman slammed Jason more forcefully against the wall.

"Do not speak to her! If you come near her again, I will hand you over to Gordon. Am I understood?!" Batman demanded.

Jason didn't respond. Batman began punching Jason. Blood started falling from Jason's nose and lip. Hope was afraid he wouldn't stop.

"Batman! Stop! Jason, tell him you agree, then get out of here." Hope said, putting her hand on Batman's shoulder.

Batman stopped punching Jason. Jason coughed a couple times, then looked up at Batman.

"Fine." Jason said.

Batman let go of Jason.

"Now, leave." Hope said.

Jason wiped the blood from his nose off, and went over to the window. He looked at her. A moment later, he jumped out. She wrapped her arms around her ribs.

"How much did you see?" She asked, not looking at him.

"I saw enough to know that you didn't want him to do that." Batman said.

She exhaled loudly, and turned to face him.

"He's been trying to turn me against Bruce. He's insinuating that Bruce is cheating on me. He asked if I knew where Bruce went everytime he leaves me. He tells me that I don't know Bruce at all. He didn't believe me when I told him I didn't care." She said.

Batman studied her for a moment.

"You don't? Why not?" Batman asked.

"I know Bruce, and how he is with me. I trust him, and there's nothing Jason can tell me, that will make me change my mind." She said.

"Bruce Wayne is just a man, he has secrets, just like any other man." Batman said.

"Of course he does. Everyone does. I mean, you dress up in a bat suit, beating up the bad guys, and I trust you. Should I not trust Bruce?" She asked.

"I never said that." He said.

"Until Bruce gives me a reason not to, I'm trusting him." She said.

Batman gave a nod.

"So, where is he then?" Batman asked.

He studied her for a moment.

"He's working. I'm usually asleep when he gets in." She said.

He walked closer to her.

"He works alot." He said.

She nodded.

"Yeah, but he's Bruce Wayne. He has a company to run. It's not easy." She told him.

"It must get lonely at times." He said.

She sighed.

"Sometime, but when I start feeling lonely, I go to sleep. I sleep, because I know that when I wake up, he will be right next to me." She told him.

"Bruce Wayne is a very lucky man." Batman said.

She smiled.

"I've heard that one before, but I feel like I'm the lucky one." She said.

"Really? Why is that?" Batman asked.

"Bruce changed my mind about him. It was a surprise, and he's the opposite of who I thought he was. He surprisingly enough was everything I was looking for. I'm glad he was so stubborn." She said.

"You sound like you love him." Batman said.

She felt her face start to burn.

"Does he know how you feel?" He asked.

"I don't know. I haven't told him yet. I don't want to scare him off. He's never really been the relationship kind of guy, and I don't want to say it, then have him freak out that I'm moving too fast, and expect a ring, and kids." She said.

"Do you really believe that he would do that to you?" He asked.

"When people get scared, they do things emotionally. I just don't want him to think I'm pressuring him, into something." She said.

"Why would he get scared?" He asked.

"We're talking about Bruce Wayne here. He doesn't _do_ relationships, and why he chose me for his first one, I don't know, but I don't want to jinx it, by telling him how I feel, and have him run away from me at whiplash speeds. I'm not going to push him into something he's not ready for." She said.

"Do you think he feels the same?" He asked.

She exhaled loudly.

"Bruce has some very tall, and barricaded, walls built around him, but I think he's let me in as much as he can. I was told that I've grown on him." She said, with a smile.

"Is that what you want?" He asked, studying her closely.

She frowned.

"Haven't I been clear? Of course I do!" She said.

She saw a flash of a smile.

"I apologise for questioning you. I did not mean to upset you." He said.

She shook her head.

"It's not your fault, I'm just feeling off from Jason's visit." She said, running a hand over her face.

"Jason will not bother you again." He told her.

She nodded.

"You were pretty pursuasive." She said.

He suddenly went rigid. He frowned. He put his hands on her shoulders.

"Hope, I apologise, but I must go." He said.

She nodded.

"I understand, go ahead, you have work to do." She said.

He put his hand to her cheek.

"Everything will be okay. I won't let anything happen to you." He told her.

Her heart dropped.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Just stay here, okay? Don't leave." He said.

"Joker broke out, didn't her?" She asked.

"No, but it's not safe to be on the streets. Just stay here, please." He said.

She nodded.

"Of course." She said.

He hurried out the window. Why did she feel like something bad was coming? She ran a hand through her hair.

She needed to go to sleep. Bruce would be back by the time she woke up. She changed into pajamas, then got into bed, after turning the lights off.

She'd left the TV on, to see what was happening on the news.

It was a couple of hours later, when she was starting to doze off, that she heard a slight disturbance, in the other room. She sat up straight, and looked towards the door. Was someone out there, or was it just her imagination?

She strained to hear something, anything, but couldn't. She heard a shuffling sound, right outside the door a moment later. She got off the bed, and looked around the room. She needed a place to hide.

She wasn't quick enough. The door opened. She relaxed, when she saw who it was.

"Thank God it is you!" She said.

She ran over to Dick, and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her as well.

"I'm happy to see you as well. Bruce asked me to stop in, and check on you, since Alfred is helping him. He figured you were bored, and would like some company." He said.

She nodded.

"Sounds great. I was just laying down, and watching the news." She said.

"News? It's kind of depressing though, isn't it? Let's watch a movie." Dick said.

She smiled, and nodded.

"Sure. Put in Cabin in the woods, and then we can get comfortable." She said.

She got back in bed, as he got the movie ready. Dick grabbed the remote, and kicked off his shoes, then got into the bed next to her. He started the movie, skipping the previews. He laid his arm out, and she laid her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her.

"So, how are you really doing, Hope?" Dick asked, after a while.

"I'm okay. Joker is still locked up in Arkham, Jason has finally gotten the idea that he can't change my mind about Bruce, so I'm fine." She said.

"Okay, and how are you and Bruce doing?" He asked.

She smiled.

"Bruce and I are fine. Why do you ask, Dick?" She asked.

"I just know how Bruce can get, and want to let you know that if you ever need to talk, or anything, really, call me, anytime." He said.

"Thank you, yes, I know. I appreciate it Dick, but Bruce and I are just fine." She told him.

"Okay." He said.

X*X*X

The next morning, she opened her eyes, and smiled. Bruce had replaced Dick next to her on the bed. She moved closer, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Good morning." He mumbled.

"Morning. How was work last night?" She asked.

"Exhausting, Queen Consolodated is requesting my presence, at their facilities." He said.

She propped herself up on her elbows, facing him.

"Oliver wants you to go there? Are you going to?" She asked.

"I think I'll have to. Why?" He asked.

"Would it be out of line, if I were to ask to come, as well?" She asked.

He opened his eyes, and looked at her.

"You want to go to Queen Consolodated, with me?" He asked.

"Not exactly. I'd like to see Felicity and Thea again." She said.

"Thea?" He asked.

"Oliver's sister." She said.

"How well do you know Queen?" He asked.

"I got along well with Thea. Oliver was around alot. So, may I join you?" She asked.

He smiled at her.

"Of course. I will let Queen know we're coming." He said.

"Thank you." She said.

He put his hand on the back of her neck, and kissed her.

"Let me call Oliver, you should get dressed." He told her.

He kissed her, then they got out of bed. She went over to her closet, and picked out a hunter green sundress. She dressed in the closet. She left the closet, and went to the bathroom. She brushed her hair, then walked back into the bedroom.

Bruce just got back as well.

"Everything is ready. Oliver said that we can stay with him, if we need to." Bruce said.

"Will we need to?" She asked, wondering if she should pack more clothes.

"I'm sure I can move things around, so that we can stay, if you want." He said.

"What about work?" She said.

He walked over to her.

"Technically, this is work, and I'm sure Dick will give you some time off." He told her.

"Okay, I'll call him, while you get dressed." She said.

She went to leave, but Bruce grabbed her hand, and pulled her to him. He leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers. She threaded her fingers through his hair, as he pulled her closer to him.

"Okay Romeo, you need to get dressed." She told him.

"Would you like me to grab some clothes for you?" He asked.

"You do not have to do that, my hands are not broken, I can do it. I'll be right back." She said.

She left, and went over to the kitchen. She grabbed her cell from the counter. She dialed Dick's number.

"Hope, what's up?" Dick said.

"Hey, I wanted to thank you for staying with me last night." She said.

"Hey, it was no problem, it was my pleasure. Was there anything else?" Dick asked.

"A favor, actually. Bruce is taking me out of town, and I was wondering if I could have a few days off?" She asked.

"Bruce is taking you out of town? With him?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes.

"Yes Dick. Is that so hard to believe?" She asked.

"Oh, no, it's not, well, maybe, a little. Sorry. Sure, you can have time off. Have fun. Tell Bruce I said to have some fun, as well." He told her.

She laughed.

"I'll make sure he does." She said.

"That will be a feat in itself." He said.

"You have no faith in Bruce, do you? He does know how to have fun." She said.

"Well, you do know him in a different way than I do." Dick said.

She rolled her eyes, as she felt her face grow warm.

"Apparently, the _fun_ side of him." She said.

Dick laughed.

"It sure sounds that way. Okay Hope, have fun, and I'll see you when you get back." He told her.

"Thank you Dick." She said.

"Bye Hope." Dick said.

She ended the call, and headed back to the bedroom. Bruce was walking out of her closet, with her rolling suitcase. She raised her eyebrows.

"Apparently, I have the fun side of you. Which side does he get?" She asked.

"How often do you and Dick talk about me?" Bruce asked.

She smirked.

"I think I'll plead the fifth on that one, on grounds it may incriminate me." She said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Oh really?" He asked, walking over to her.

"Yes. So, what side does Dick get to see?" She asked.

"The more business side of me. Did he really say you got my fun side?" He asked.

"Yes. Did you pack my bag for me? I said that you didn't have to do it." She said.

"It's fine, I wanted to." He told her.

He held her face in his hands, and kissed her.

"Thank you. Dick gave me the time off." She said.

"Before, or after, you were talking about me?" He asked, with a smile.

"I'm still taking the fifth on that. So, when are we leaving?" She asked.

"Shortly, I have a couple more calls to make, then Alfred will take us to the air field." He said.

She nodded.

He left, and she slipped her black ballerina flats on. She put the necklace Bruce gave her, on. She put the matching studs in her ears. She made sure that she had everything she would need. When she was satisfied that she wasn't forgetting anything, she grabbed both hers and Bruce's rolling suitcases, and headed for the living room. Alfred was waiting by the door.

"I'll take those out to the car." Alfred said.

Alfred took the suitcases, and left. She went over to the window, and looked out at the skyline. A moment later, she felt Bruce's arms go around her, and he placed his cheek to hers.

"Is everything okay?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, I was just enjoying the view of Gotham. Are you finished with your calls?" She asked.

"Yes. We can leave at any time." He said.

She turned to face him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and smiled.

"I'm ready, when you are." She said.

He kissed her, pulling her closer to him.

"Maybe we should stay." She said breathlessly.

He smiled.

"As much as I would enjoy _that_ , we can't. We'll have to finish this at a later time." He told her.

"If we must." She said.

He smiled, then kissed her again.

"Let's go, Alfred is waiting for us." He said.

She gave a nod. They headed down to the car.

X*X*X

The jet landed, and Hope got ready to exit. The door opened, and the steps were put down. She was right behind him as they descended the steps. Bruce got to the ground, and held his hand out for her to take.

She took it, and stepped down to the ground. Bruce gave her a quick kiss, then turned to face the two men walking towards them.

"Mr. Wayne, my name is John Diggle, and this is my associate, Roy Harper. Oliver Queen sent us." John said.

"Hello, Mr. Diggle, it's nice to meet you." Bruce said, shaking John's hand.

"So, where is Oliver?" Hope asked.

"He's running late. He told us to bring you to his sister's club, and we will meet you there when he can." John said.

"Of course he is. Oh well, at least we get to see Thea." Hope said.

"You know Thea?" Roy asked.

Hope nodded.

"She's a friend." Hope said.

"Do you have any bags we can get for you?" John asked.

"They're on the jet." Bruce said.

"I'll be right back." Roy said.

"If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the car." John said.

They followed John out to a black town car. John opened the door for them. Hope got in first, then Bruce got in after her. Moments late, Roy brought their suitcases to the car. He put them in the trunk, then got into the front of the car. John was behind the wheel, and headed for Thea's club.

It took a half hour, but they finally made it. They got out of the car, and headed inside. The club was amazing. Hope smiled, as a woman came up to them.

"Hope, is that you? Oh my God, I can't believe this!" Thea said.

Hope smiled, and hugged her.

"I know, right?! You cut your hair! It looks great!" Hope said.

"I figured that it was time for a change." Thea said.

"It looks great." Hope said.

"Thank you. So, what are you doing here?" Thea asked.

"Oliver didn't tell you we're meeting him here. Bruce has work to discuss with him. I figured he would have told you." Hope said.

"It doesn't matter, you're here now. How long are you staying for?" Thea asked.

"A couple of days." Hope said.

Bruce cleared his throat.

"Oh, Thea, this is Bruce Wayne, my boyfriend. Bruce, this is my friend, Thea Queen. She is also Oliver's younger sister." Hope said.

"Boyfriend?" Thea said, shaking Bruce's hand.

"Yes. It's nice to meet you Ms. Queen." Bruce said.

"We should probably talk. I can tell you some of the best stories about Hope here." Thea said, looking at Bruce.

"Let's not, and say we did. Don't even think about it Thea." Hope said.

"We'll talk later." Thea said, with a wink at Bruce.

"Don't believe a word she says." Hope told Bruce.

Thea laughed, and Bruce smiled.

"Thea, I think we should talk." Bruce said.

Hope rolled her eyes.

"This is not going to be good. I'm going to need a drink, if we're swapping stories." Hope said.

"You came to the right place, I own the bar." Thea said.

They followed her over to the bar. Hope sat on a stool, Bruce sat to her left, John to her right, Roy on the other side of John, and Thea went behind the bar. She poured them each a drink. Hope downed it pretty quickly.

"So, how long have you two known eachother?" Bruce asked.

Thea and Hope looked at each other.

"How long has it been Speedie?" Hope asked.

"It's been forever. Twenty years, I believe." Thea said.

Hope gave a nod.

"Sounds about right,. I used to babysit Thea. That's how I met Oliver, actually. He came home early one night. Thea was doing homework, I was helping, if she needed it, and he came in. He started showing up after that night. He wasn't very subtle at times." Hope said.

"Hope never gave my brother the time of day." Thea said.

"I knew his reputation. I was at your house alot back then. It was like a second home to me." Hope said.

"We were happy to have you there. Oliver, more than the rest." Thea said.

Hope rolled her eyes, and downed another shot.

"He was very persistant some times." Hope said.

"Not enough to change your mind though. So, Mr. Wayne, how hard did you have to work to get a date from her?" Thea asked.

Hope smiled.

"It was not easy." Bruce said.

"You were smart though. He got my boss to order me to one of his charity functions." Hope said.

"It was our first date." Bruce said.

Hope nodded.

"Yes, it was." Hope said.

Bruce gave her a quick kiss.

"Nice one. I'm surprised Ollie didn't think to do something like that." Thea said.

"What didn't I think of?" Oliver asked, walking up to the bar.

"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. You never thought to use my boss to get me to attend one of your charity events." Hope said.

"It never even crossed my mind, back then. My loss, Bruce's gain, I guess." Oliver said.

"Hello Ollie." Hope said.

She stood, and gave Oliver a hug. Bruce shook Oliver's hand, as Felicity, and two men walked up to them.

"Felicity, I was just about to ask where you were. It's great to see you again." Hope said, giving Felicity a hug.

"You too. I have your dress for you as well. Oliver had it repaired." Felicity said.

"Great." Hope said, with a smile.

Bruce put his hand on the small of her back. She looked up at him.

"Oliver and I are going to discuss business. We'll be in the corner, if you need anything." Bruce said.

She smiled, and nodded.

"Have fun." Hope said.

He gave her a kiss, then walked over to Oliver, in the corner. Felicity was grinning at her.

The shorter man elbowed Felicity.

"Hope, this is Cisco, and Barry. They're friends of mine and Oliver's. Guys, this is Hope." Felicity said.

"It's nice to meet you both." Hope said.

She shook Barry's hand, then Cisco's.

"I have to know, what is Bruce Wayne really like?" Cisco asked.

"You do not have to answer that." Barry told her.

"What?" Cisco asked.

Hope laughed.

"It's okay. Bruce is different than what you see in the media. He's very private. Hope said, looking over at Bruce.

She smiled, when he looked over at her.

"Want another shot Hope?" Thea asked.

"Sure." Hope said.

Hope went back to the bar, as Thea poured her a shot. She downed it.

"Okay Speedy, I'm cutting myself off for now." Hope said, three shots later.

Thea nodded.

"So Hope, how long are you in town for?" Barry asked.

"A couple of days." Hope said.

"Do you have anything planned?" Cisco asked.

"Bruce is here on business with Ollie, so I came to see Thea and Felicity." Hope said.

"I'm sure that we can find something to do." Thea said.

Hope laughed.

"I have no doubt about that." Hope said.

Thea laughed as well.

*X*

About an hour later, Bruce and Oliver walked over to them.

"Oliver and I are going to Queen Consolidated, to go over some paperwork. Why don't you stay with Thea, until we get finished." Bruce said.

Hope nodded.

"Thea, why don't you take Hope to your loft." Oliver said.

"Sure. I'll have Sam open tonight. I have to make a call, I'll be right back." Thea said.

She left. Bruce pulled her out of earshot of the the others.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing. I'll try to make it quick, but have fun with Thea." He told her.

She smiled up at him.

"I'll try. Try not to have too much fun without me." She told him.

He smiled.

"I don't think you have to worry about that." He told her.

She laughed.

"You poor baby, I'll have to reward you later." She said.

"Don't forget, we have some unfinished business to take care of as well." He said.

"I haven't." She said.

He leaned down, and kissed her. She rested her hands on his chest, as she kissed him back.

"Have fun with Thea." He said.

"I always do." She said.

They walked back over to the bar.

A moment later, Oliver, Bruce, John, Roy, and Felicity left. Cisco decided to stay, and Barry stayed, to keep an eye on Cisco. Thea finished her phone call, and they all headed over to Thea's loft.

*X*

Hope had made her way upstairs, to Thea's bed, a couple hours ago. She had been dozing in and out of sleep, in that time. It was very late, when Bruce got there. He spoke with Thea quietly, then made his way up to her. She was half awake, when he climbed in next to her. He pulled her close, and she laid her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"How'd it go?" She mumbled.

"Interesting. Did you have fun with Thea?" He asked.

"Yes. It was great to see her again. Thank you for bringing me with you." She mumbled.

He kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you for coming with me." He said.

"Silly Bruce, I'd do anything for you." She mumbled sleepily.

He ran his fingers through her hair.

"Go to sleep sweetheart. It's late." He told her.

He kissed the top of her head again. She laid her arm across his stomach, and drifted off to sleep.

*X*

Bruce was gone when she woke up the next morning. She got out of bed, and went down the stairs. Thea had crashed on the couch. She found Bruce standing on the balcony, his cell phone was to his ear. He was talking quietly, to the person on the other end of the line.

She watched him for a minute, just admiring him. He had a black tank top on, and his pants. She bit her lip, to refrain from smiling like a schoolgirl, with a high school crush. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes, as Bruce ended the call. He dropped the cell in his pocket. He rested his hands on the railing. She watched him a moment longer, then walked up to him. She slid her hands up his back, and rubbed his shoulders. He turned to face her, and put his hands on her hips. He smiled down at her.

"Morning." He said.

"Good morning. You're up early. Did you get any sleep after you got here last night?" She asked.

"I got a couple hours of sleep. How did you sleep?" He asked.

"Pretty good. No nightmares last night, thankfully." She said.

"It did seem like it was more peaceful for you last night. I'm glad." He said.

He pulled her up against him, and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him back. They only pulled away, when someone cleared their throat. It was Oliver.

"I haven't even had my coffee yet." Oliver said.

"Oh please, you've done worse." She said.

Oliver laughed.

"You're not wrong. The torture I used to put you and Thea through. Fun times." Oliver said.

"Oh dear lord, please don't remind me." She said.

He laughed.

"So, you met Cisco and Barry last night. That must have been interesting, especially Cisco." Oliver said.

"They were very nice, and polite. Cisco had a lot of questions, but was funny." She said.

"That's one way to put it. He's definitely unique." Oliver said.

They talked until Thea got up, then they got dressed, and went out to breakfast.

X*X*X


	5. Chapter 5

At breakfast, Bruce had gotten a call. He took it privately. When he got back, he said that they needed to return to Gotham. Apparently, new technology had been stolen.

Since Oliver and Bruce had completed their business the night before, Bruce was free to return. Hope, of course, would be returning with him.

They had grabbed their things, went to the air strip, boarded the jet, and headed back to Gotham. Alfred was waiting for them, when they arrived.

The manor had been finished, while they had been out of town. Alfred brought them to the manor. They got inside, and Bruce was headed for his office. Hope stopped in her tracks, when she saw a woman standing in the living room, a smirk on her face.

"Who are you?" Hope asked.

The woman looked hope up and down.

"An old _friend_ of Bruce's." She said.

Hope raised her eyebrows.

"Of course you are. Bruce, you might want to come in here for a moment. There's someone here." Hope called over her shoulder.

"This should be fun." The woman said.

"Selena. What are you doing here?" Bruce asked.

Selena smiled at Bruce.

"It's been a while." Selena said.

"Not long enough. What do you want?" Bruce asked.

"I need to speak with you, about business." Selena said.

"I can't right now, I have more pressing issues right now." Bruce said.

"Yes, I heard about the break in. I may have heard something about that." Selena said.

Bruce did not look happy.

"Fine. Hope, please excuse us." Bruce said.

"Of course." She said.

Bruce and Selena went to his office. Hope brought their suitcases up to the bedroom. She unpacked their things. She slid her flats off, and changed into a pair of comfortable shorts, and a black tank top. She laid down on the bed, and stretched out. She wasn't planning on staying on the bed for very long, but it was comfortable, and shortly after she laid down, she dozed off.

X*X*X

Bruce was not happy, to say the least. Ever since Selena had shown up, and Wayne Enerprises had been broken into, he'd been in a weird mood. He was on edge, and kept a very close eye on her.

If he wasn't around her, he'd have Alfred keep an eye on her. Of course, at work, Dick watched over her. She was starting to get worried. Had something happened? Had Joker escaped?

One night, a couple of days after Selena had arrived, she was watching the news. Bruce had left hours ago. Hope was relaxing in the living room, as she watched the news.

Suddenly, there was breaking news. There had been a breakout, at Arkham Asylum. Hope's heart sped up. She listened carefully, trying to hear exactly _who_ had escaped. She prayed that it wasn't Joker.

The news anchor never said. Hope was anxious. She needed to talk to Bruce. She left the living room, and went to grab her cell. She dialed his number. It went to voicemail.

"Bruce, I just saw the news. Give me a call back please." She said.

She ended the call, then texted him as well.

 _ **Call me, need to talk to you.**_

She went to find Alfred. She was sure he'd be able to get a hold of Bruce.

She looked through the manor, but was not able to find him. She was becoming more anxious, as the time passed. She dialed Dick's number. Like Bruce's, it went to voicemail.

"Dick, I saw the news. I can't reach Bruce, and I can't find Alfred. Give me a call back, I'm starting to get scared." She said.

She ended the call, and then texted him.

 _ **Call me, can't find Alfred, Bruce won't answer. I'm worried.**_

She tried to think of anyone she could call, for help. The ones she thought of, that could help, she didn't have any way to contact them. She went to her room. She felt safe in there. She started to pace. What was she supposed to do? Bruce would want her to stay put, so she'd be safe, but Alfred was missing. Should she hide? What if she was just being paranoid? She had no idea who had broken out of Arkham. It might not have been Joker, but someone who was obsessed with her.

She sat on the bed, to try to calmly, and rationally, think. Suddenly, she sat up, listening carefully. She thought that she heard _something_. She stood, and went over to the window. It was closed. She looked out, and everything was still. Almost too still. Something felt off, wrong.

What if it was Alfred? What if he had returned? She bit her lip, and went over to the door. She looked out into the hall. Nothing. She listened, but didn't hear anything. Maybe she'd just heard things. She pinched the bridge of her her nose, and exhaled loudly.

She headed down the stairs. She tried calling Bruce again. She got his voicemail again. She was about to leave another message, when she saw she had a visitor. Hope lowered the phone.

"What are _you_ doing here? Bruce isn't here, actually, I can't get a hold of him." Hope said.

"Of course not, I'm not surprised, not tonight, at least, but I'm not here for Bruce. I see you saw the news." Selena said.

"What do you want Selena?" Hope asked.

Selena smiled, and moved closer to Hope. Hope frowned.

"I want nothing, Dr. Lake. I'm working for someone that wants something though." Selena said.

Hope was on high alert. How did Selena know she was a doctor?

"I'm not a doctor, any longer. Who are you working for, and what do they want?" Hope asked.

Hope's stomach tied itself in knots, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough. He wants me to bring you to him." Selena said.

Before Hope could process what Selena had said, Selena stuck something in Hope's neck. Hope gasped, as she dropped her cell phone. Hope started falling, but Selena caught her.

"Sweet dreams, Doc." Selena said, as darkness over took Hope.

X*X*X


	6. Chapter 6

Hope started waking up. She opened her eyes, and found herself strapped down to an exam chair. She struggled to get free, but it was useless, her bindings were secure. How had she gotten there? Selena. Selena had stuck her with something. Selena had been sent to take her.

Hope looked around. The room was pretty bare. The counters had nothing on them, but there was a small stand next to her. On it, was a syringe filled with a clear liquid. She had a feeling that she wanted nothing to do with it, at all.

Suddenly, the door opened.

"It looks like the patient is awake." A voice said.

Hope frowned, when she saw who it was. She was relieved to find it wasn't Joker.

"Johnathon Crane. I was not expecting you to walk through the door, but I guess you're better than some. So, what do you want, and why am I tied up?" Hope asked.

Johnathon smiled.

"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Lake. You've been very missed at Arkham, by many people. By some more than others. You are here, to help me." He told her.

"You should be in Arkham, and I'm not going to help you." She told him.

He smiled.

"You won't have a choice. I've made a special serum, just for you. I started it in Arkham, and finished it very quickly once I managed to get out. You'll do whatever I say. Let's get started, shall we?" He said.

There was no way out of this. There was nothing she could do about what was going to happen to her. Jonathon grabbed the syringe, and slid the needle in the vein, in the crease of her arm. She hissed, as he emptied the contents of the syringe into her blood stream. Her blood felt like it was boiling. Her head was starting to spin, and her vision went blurry.

It took a minute, but finally her mind, and vision cleared, and the burning faded away. Hope blinked a couple of times. Her mind was empty. She looked up at Johnathon. He was smiling at her.

"How are we feeling Dr. Lake?" Johnathon asked.

"Free." She said.

Johnathon laughed.

"Perfect. Now, let's get you out of these restraints." He said.

He quickly released her, but she stayed sitting. He held his hand out to her, and she took it. She stood.

"First things first, if you're going to be at my side, you need to change." He said.

He led her out of the room, down the hall, to another room. A cot was placed in the corner, with some clothes on it. At the bottom of the bed, on the floor, was a pair of knee high, heeled boots.

"Get dressed, and I'll be right outside." He told her.

She gave a nod. He left, shutting the door behind him. She slid out of the clothes she was in, and slid the new skirt on. Next she put on the black tank top. Then she put the black suit jacket on. She buttoned it, then slid into the boots.

Once she was finished, she exited the room. Johnathin was very pleased.

"Beautiful. Now, lets get started." Johnathon said.

X*X*X

It had been a week since Johnathon had kidnapped Hope. He had worked fast too. He brought her to an abandoned warehouse, close to the harbor. She was there to supervise his men, while he made plans. His men were getting scarecrow's new batch of drugs ready to be sent out. She was there, to make sure things went smooth.

It was just after midnight, when things went to hell. Hope was making her rounds. She had ended next to Johnathon's office. She heard a noise, and a struggle. She knew what that meant. _He_ had found them. She entered the office.

"Batman is here." she said.

Johnathon opened a drawer on the desk, and pulled out a gun. He handed it to her.

"Remember what I told you. Distract him, for as long as you can." He told her.

"What about you?" She asked.

"I'll be fine, I have a plan." He said.

She gave a nod, and exited the office. The warehouse was empty. All of scarecrow's minions were gone. Either they had been taken, or they had fled. Hope pointed the gun in front of her, and cautiously started foreward. She'd gotten halfway across the floor, when she stopped. She smirked.

"He knew you'd come. Sooner or later. I figured it would have been much sooner. I guess the stories about you were...stretched." She said.

Batman stepped out of the shadows.

"What has Scarecrow done to you, Hope?" Batman asked.

"Nothing, but set me free." She said, with a smirk.

"Why do you have a gun?" Batman asked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you get past me." She said.

"Why? This isn't you, Hope. Can't you see he's done something to you?" Batman said.

"You don't know anything about me. Scarecrow only opened my eyes to what the world really is. He also told me that you would try to talk to me. Have me turn against him. Guess what? It's not going to work." She told him.

"He's been lying to you." He said, moving closer to her.

She fixed the gun on him.

"Don't come any closer, or I will shoot." She threatened him.

"Bruce would not want you to do this." Batman told her.

She frowned. Bruce. Something stirred inside of her. She shook her head, to try to clear it. The feelings were buried once more.

"Bruce left me. Alfred was gone. I had no one. Johnathon found me, and took me in. He saved me." She said.

"Lies. Selena drugged you, and brought you to Scarecrow. Scarecrow did something to you. This is not you Hope." Batman said.

She shook her head. Memories of Bruce started surfacing.

"What are you doing to me? Stop it!" She told him.

She kept the gun on him with one hand. The other, she put on her temple.

"It's your memories, not me." He told her.

His hand suddenly shot out, and grabbed the gun from her. He tossed it to the ground. She lunged at him, swinging. He blocked her attacks.

"I will not fight you Hope." He told her.

"He said that you wouldn't." She said, punching him.

He managed to pin her up against the wall. She struggled to break away, but couldn't.

"Stop, it's over." He told her.

She stopped struggling.

"That's what you think. I was just the distraction. He's gone by now." She told him.

Batman looked over at the office.

"You're too late. While you were focused on me, he got away. You've lost." She said.

"I wasn't after him." He told her.

"You're lying." She said.

"I came to find _you_ Hope." He said.

"He said no one cared about me, but him. He told me you would try to confuse me." She said.

"Hope, there are still people that care about you." He told her.

"He leaned down, and kissed her. She was caught off guard. Her mind and body was at war. She broke, and gave in. She wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him back. Batman loosened his grip on her. Her hands slid down, and rested on his chest. Without warning, she swept his feet out from under him, as she pushed him.

As he fell, she hurried away. She got to the office, when it exploded. She flew through the air, and into a wall. Batman had been thrown through the air as well. She groaned, as she started moving. Someone came up to her. She looked up. It was someone she'd only seen on TV. The news had called him the Red Hood. What was he doing here?

She pushed herself to sit up. She never took her eyes off of him.

"It looks like you're in a tight spot sweetheart. Rumor has it, you've been working with Scarecrow. Did you finally break up with Bruce, and not find me? I'm wounded." Red Hood said.

She had no idea what he was talking about. She heard movement. Batman was coming to. She looked up at Red Hood.

"Will you get me out of here?" She asked.

"I never thought you'd ask." He said.

There was more movement.

"Hurry." She said.

He picked her up in his arms, and brought her outside. He hurried over to his bike, and set her on it. He got on in front of her.

"Hold on tight Princess." He told her.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, as he started the bike. He took off. She closed her eyes, and rested her cheek on his back. She kept her eyes closed for the whole ride.

She opened them, when he came to a stop. She frowned.

"Why have you broght me here?" She asked.

"There's something you need to see. What happened between you and Bruce?" He asked.

She flnched as memories flashed.

"He left. I couldn't get a hold of him. Alfred disappeared. Johnathon saved me." She said.

"He really did screw you up. Selena kidnapped you for Scarecrow. He injected you with something, to control you. We need to get inside, before Bats realises where we are, and what we're doing." He said.

He took her hand, and led her inside Wayne Manor.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm surprised that you haven't figured it out yet." He said, leading her over to Bruce's office.

"I'm not in the mood for games." She said.

He locked the door, when they got in the office. He took the red mask off. He was smiling at her.

"It's been a long time Jason." She said.

"Yeah, well, Bruce had his claws into you, but it seems like whatever Scarecrow gave you, took your feelings for him, away from you." Jason said.

She frowned, and shook her head.

"He left." She said.

Jason walked over to her. He put his hand on the back of her neck, and pulled her into a kiss. She returned it, but pulled away sooner than he would have liked.

"You said that you had something to show me. What is it?" She asked.

He took her hand in his, and walked over to the piano. He played a couple of notes, and one of the bookshelves slid away, unveiling an elevator.

"I told you before, you don't know who Bruce really is. Let me show you." He told her.

They got on the elevator, and went down. When they stopped, they were in a massive cave. It looked familiar. As they got closer to the nerve center of the cave, more memories came back to her.

"This looks familiar. I think I've been here before." She said.

"It's the Bat Cave." He told her.

"Bruce is Batman." She said.

Everything fell into place. It _all_ made sense now.

"What have you done Jason?"

They turned around, to find Batman standing there.

"What you should have done in the first place. She had to know, Bruce." Jason said.

"It all makes sense now." She said.

"Hope, I need to counteract what Scarecrow gave you. I need to draw your blood." Batman told her.

He moved towards her. She took a step away from him. He stopped, and looked at Jason.

"Why did you bring her here?!" Batman asked.

"To open her eyes to who you really are." Jason said.

Hope had stopped paying attention to them. Her mind was spinning with memories that were buried. Bruce. Batman. Jason. Joker. Scarecrow. Selena. Her blood felt like it was boiling. Batman was yelling at Jason. Her legs gave out, and she fell to the ground. Both Batman and Jason hurried to her side.

The fog of the serum was fading. Confusion set in.

"Where am I? How did I get here?" She groaned.

"The serum must be wearing off." Jason said.

"Bruce." She gasped, as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

X*X*X


	7. Chapter 7

Hope fell into a coma. She'd been taken to the hospital, to make sure she was going to live. After a week of being in the hospital, Bruce had them transfer her to the manor. He felt that she would be more comfortable there.

The doctors had told Bruce that they didn't know why Hope hadn't woken up yet. They couldn't wake her up. She had to wake on her own, that she was keeping herself under.

*X*

 _Hope was in the garden, at Wayne Manor. She closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. Roses. The garden was overgrown with many different roses. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, and smiled._

 _"You're back early." She said._

 _"You should be sleeping." Batman said._

 _"I wanted to wait for you to get back." She said._

 _He smiled, and pulled her into a kiss. When they pulled out of the kiss, Batman had faded into Bruce. She kissed him again._

 _*X*_

 _Hope was in a black satin ball gown. She was dancing with someone at one of Bruce's charity events, while Bruce watched closely. She smiled at Bruce, then returned her attention to her dance partner._

 _"Jason." She said._

 _He smiled at her._

 _"I've missed my unicorn." Jason told her._

 _Jason danced her away from Bruce's unwavering gaze. Their eyes locked on each other, as they danced over to the shadowy corner._

 _"Jason, we shouldn't-" She said._

 _"You should let yourself go, stop holding yourself back. I can see it in your eyes, that you want to." He told her._

 _"I can't. I won't hurt Bruce." She said._

 _He shook his head._

 _"Bruce doesn't deserve you. He's never realised what he's got, and you are completely blinded by him." Jason said._

 _She put her hand to his cheek._

 _"I'm sorry, but I love him. Maybe it would be different, if I had met you first. I'm in love with Bruce, and there's nothing you can say, or do, that will change that. I'm sorry Jason." She said._

 _He wrapped his hand around her wrist._

 _"I'm not going to give up on you." He told her._

 _"I know." She said, with a sigh._

 _*X*_

 _Hope was in her wedding dress. She was waiting for the doors to open, so she could walk down the aisle._

 _She looked to her left, and smiled. Alfred walked up to her. He kissed her cheek._

 _"You are beautiful, Ms. Hope." Alfred told her._

 _"Thank you Alfred." Hope said._

 _"Are you ready?" He asked._

 _"I've been ready, for years. It's finally here, yes, I think I'm ready." She said._

 _"Yes, I was starting to fear this day wouldn't come for Master Bruce. I'm happy for both of you." He told her._

 _She laughed._

 _"He can be stubborn, can't he?" She said._

 _"That's quite the understatement." Alfred said._

 _"I was being kind." She laughed._

 _"It's time." He told her._

 _"Let's go." She said._

 _He held his arm out, and she took it. The doors opened, and they started down the aisle. Bruce was standing next to the priest. On the other side of Bruce, was his best man, Dick._

 _They locked eyes, and never looked away. Hope handed her bouquet to her maid of honor, Thea. Thea was right next to Felicity, a bridesmaid. Bruce took her hands in his. Everything faded, except for her and Bruce._

 _"You may now kiss the bride." The priest said._

 _Hope and Bruce smiled at each other. Bruce leaned in and pressed his lips to hers._

 _They turned to face the crowd, and her heart sped up. It couldn't be him. This wasn't happening today. Any day but today._

 _She grabbed Bruce's hand, and he pulled her behind him._

 _"I think my invitation got lost in the mail, but I made it just in time to congratulate the newlyweds. It's great to see you again, Dollface." Joker said._

 _Several guests stood, but Joker held up a hand._

 _"I don't think so, everyone have a seat. One wrong move, and kaboom." Joker said._

 _Everyone sat back down._

 _"Bruce." Hope whispered._

 _He held her hand in his. Joker slowly walked down the aisle, towards Hope._

 _"I don't mean to be a wedding crasher, but I just couldn't miss your big day, Dollface." Joker said._

 _Bruce was shielding Hope from Joker, as Joker approached._

 _"Don't be shy Dollface. Come out." Joker said._

 _"What do you want Joker?!" Bruce demanded._

 _"I want to see her. Come on out sweetheart. I'm just dying to see how you look." Joker said._

 _He laughed._

 _Hope didn't move. Joker looked into Bruce's eyes._

 _"If you don't move out of the way, Bruce Wayne, I will blow this building sky high." Joker said._

 _Bruce hesitated, but finally moved to the side, revealing Hope to Joker. Bruce never let her hand go. Hope looked at Joker, who looked delighted to see her._

 _"Absolutely stunning Dollface. Mr. Wayne, you have a beautiful bride. It's too bad it won't be for very long." Joker said._

 _His hand shot out, and Hope felt pain surge from her abdomen. Hope gasped. Joker pulled the knife out of her. She placed her hands over the wound._

 _Bruce started for Hope, but Joker wouldn't let him get to her. Dick held onto Bruce, so nothing would happen. Hope fell to her knees. Joker stood in front of her. He knelt down, to face her._

 _"Oh Dollface, you don't look so well. We can't have that, can we? No we can't. Let me see if we can't do something about that." Joker said._

 _He stuck the knife in her again. Bruce screamed at Joker. Joker laughed._

 _Hope felt blood fall from her mouth, as she reached up to her hair. She grabbed onto one of the metal chopsticks, that Thea had given her, it was her something blue. She pulled it out, and stabbed Joker in the neck._

 _Joker looked at her in shock. It gave her enough time to grab the detonator from his hand, and threw it towards Bruce. Joker stabbed her again, and all hell broke loose. Everyone jumped for Joker. He was restrained. Bruce was at her side. He pulled her into his arms._

 _"Let me take her Bruce, I can get her to the Hospital." Barry said._

 _"I'll be there as soon as I can. Hurry Barry." Bruce said._

 _Her eyes rolled to the back of her head._

"She's flat lining!"

Bruce and Dick were sitting in the bedroom, when Hope's heart suddenly stopped.

The on call doctor and nurse hurried to try and save her. They made Bruce and Dick leave the room.

About five minutes later, the doctor came out of the room.

"We managed to restart her heart." The doctor said.

"Thank you. How is she? Did she wake up yet?" Bruce asked.

"I'm sorry, no, she didn't, but she could at any moment." The doctor said.

"Will she remember anything that happened?" Bruce asked.

"There's no way to tell, until she wakes up." The doctor said.

"Thank you doctor." Bruce said.

The doctor, and the nurse, left. Bruce, and Dick returned to her bedside.

X*X*X


	8. Chapter 8

It had been three days since she'd flat lined. She finally opened her eyes. She felt a hand holding hers. She looked over to her right. Bruce was sitting in a chair, his eyes closed. She smiled, but didn't alert him to her. She just watched him. Her heart grew for him. He shouldered so much. He had built his walls for a reason. He never let anyone in. He might not have let her all the way in, but he had begun to.

She squeezed his hand. His eyes started to open.

"Bruce, why are you sleeping in the chair?" She asked.

"Thank God you're awake!" He said, moving closer to the bed.

She smiled, and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm awake." She whispered.

He moved closer, and kissed her.

"I feel like I haven't kissed you in forever." She said.

"Hope, what do you remember?" Bruce asked.

"I saw the news. There had been a breakout at Arkham. I couldn't reach you or Dick. Alfred was missing. Selena broke in, and knocked me out with a tranque, and brought me to Johnathon Crane. He injected me with something. After that it gets foggy. I can remember overseeing Crane's new drugs, and trying to fight Batman, but not much of anything else." She told him.

"You don't remember anything else?" Bruce asked.

"No, why, did I do something horrible? Something I would hate myself for?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"No, not that I know of. How do you feel?" Bruce asked.

"A little over heated, maybe a little hungry. I'm glad to be home." She said.

He smiled, and kissed her.

"I'm glad you're back too. I'll go get you something to eat, and let the doctor know you're awake." Bruce said.

She grabbed his hand.

"Don't leave me." She said.

He covered her hand with his. He sat down on the bed.

"I'll call Dick. He's downstairs with the doctor." Bruce said.

Bruce kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed next to her. He pulled out his cell phone, and dialed Dick's number.

"She's awake. Bring the doctor." Bruce said, then ended the call.

"Thank you." She said.

He wrapped his arms around her, and she laid her head on his chest. Moments later, Dick entered the room. Hope sat up, smiling. Dick gave her a hug, as the doctor entered the room.

The doctor gave her a full check up, and gave her a clean bill of health, but to take it easy for the next week. After the doctor left, Dick brought her something light to eat. Bruce stayed by her side, the whole time.

X*X*X

Hope was trying not to remember her dreams, from her coma. Somehow, Jason's stubborness had seeped it's way into her dreams. She hated hurting him like that, but it had to be done. He was stubborn, and didn't want to let her go.

For that reason, she dreaded being alone. She was worried that Jason would show up, to convince her to leave Bruce. What would he do to get what he wanted? She didn't want to think about it.

She definitely didn't want to think about the last dream. The one where Joker had stabbed her, at her wedding to Bruce. Everytime she happened to think of it, she ended up crying.

Bruce knew something was off with her, but didn't know what exactly. Being stabbed by Joker, at her wedding, was haunting her. She couldn't tell Bruce, it would torture him. She covered her mouth with her hand, and closed her eyes. She leaned up against the window sill, as a tear fell from her eyes. Her free hand wiped away the tears.

"Hope?" Bruce said.

She opened her eyes, and looked at him. She smiled.

"Bruce." She said.

He walked over to her.

"Are you okay? Is something wrong?" Bruce asked.

She shook her head.

"I'm fine. It's just nightmares. I can't seem to shake it. I'll be fine, I promise." She said, with a smile.

He put his hand on her cheek. She leaned into his touch, and closed her eyes.

"Are you sure it's just nightmares, and not something else?" Bruce asked.

She opened her eyes, and looked at him.

"Yes." She whispered.

He leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers.

"Okay." He said, kissing her again.

Someone cleared their throat. It was Dick. He was ginning.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I thought I'd pick Hope up, for work." Dick said.

"I doubt that very much." Bruce said.

"Doubt what? That I'm here to pick Hope up, or for interrupting?' Dick asked.

"The second one." Bruce said.

Dick laughed.

"I'll see you, when I get back." She told Bruce, giving him a kiss.

"Have fun." Bruce said.

She headed down the stairs. Alfred was standing at the door, with her trench coat. She smiled at him.

"Are you sure that you want to return to work so soon?" Alfred asked.

"Yes, I do. I don't think Dick will survive without me. I don't know how he got along with out me." She said.

Alfred gave a laugh.

"I shall not comment on that." Alfred.

"At least now while he's in hearing rang, right?" She said.

"Very perceptive, miss." Alfred said.

She laughed.

"It's a gift." She said.

"It is." Alfred said.

"Ready to go?" Dick asked.

Hope shared a look with Alfred. He smiled, as Hope giggled.

"Yes. I'm ready." She said.

"Did I miss something?" Dick asked.

Hope shook her head.

"No, Dick you didn't. I'll see you when I get back, Alfred." Hope said.

She kissed his cheek, then headed outside. Dick was right behind her. They got to Dick's car, and he opened the door for her. She got in, and he shut the door. He walked around, and got behind the wheel. He started the car, and pulled away.

"Thank you for picking me up." She said.

"No problem. I don't mind. It gives me a chance to see Bruce again." He said.

"That's good then. Bruce enjoys your visits." She said.

Dick glanced over at her.

"What?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"Nothing. It's just you get to see a different side of him, than anyone else." Dick said.

"I've been told." She said.

"So, how are you doing? How's your memory?" Dick asked.

"I'm fine, Dick, but _those_ memories, of my time with Scarecrow, haven't cleared up." Shesaid.

"I'm just worried about you Hope. Bruce is as well." Dick said.

She smiled at him.

"You're sweet, to worry, but I'm fine." She said.

"Bruce said something about a nightmare. Do you want to talk about it?" Dick asked.

She rolled her eyes.

"You two are like a pair of gossiping grannies, when you guys get together." She joked.

"Cute, but seriously, it might help to talk about it." Dick said.

She exhaled loudly, and shook her head.

"I know Bruce asked you to talk to me, but I don't want to even _think_ about it, much less _speak_ about it. At least the specifics of it. While I was in the coma, I had multiple dreams. It's the last one that shook me up. It started out amazing, but it went bad. I got stabbed mulltiple times. I think I even died." She told him.

"That's when you flatlined." Dick said.

"What?" She said.

"You flatlined. The doctor managed to bring you back, but it was touch and go for a moment." Dick said.

"Bruce never said anything." She said.

"I'm not surprised. When it happened, it scared him. He thought that he'd never see you again. I think that's why he's so worried, he doesn't ever want to lose you." Dick said.

"He never will, so please let him know that I'm fine, and that I'm working past my nightmare, and that it's nothing wrong on his end." She said.

Dick smiled.

"I will let him know, when I talk to him again." He said.

"Thank you." She told him.

*X*

It was well after dark, and Hope was starving. Dick gave her some money, and she went to grab some dinner for them. There was an amazing sandwich shop a couple blocks away. She decided to walk, to get some fresh air. She'd been busy, since they had arrived. This was the first time she'd be able to slow down, and relax.

She'd gotten half way to the shop, when she was grabbed, and pulled into a dark alley way. A hand was placed over her mouth, as she was brought down the alley, to the shadows. She was pressed up against the brick wall. When she saw the red mask, she stopped struggling.

Red Hood pulled the mask off. He was smiling at her.

"Long time, no see, sweetheart. I've missed my unicorn." Jason said.

He removed his hand from her mouth.

"Jason. The news calls you the Red Hood, and they're not too fond of you." She said.

He smiled.

"I'm an aquired taste." He said.

"So, what do you want? Why are you here?" She asked.

"I wanted to see how you were recovering, and to find out what you remember." Jason said.

She studied him for a moment. Her dream, of him, came to mind. She placed her hand on his cheek. She didn't want to hurt him, but she wasn't going to leave Bruce, so she couldn't be with him.

"Jason, I'm sorry. I'm not leaving Bruce." She said.

"You remember." He said.

She shook her head.

"No, but with you, it always comes back to that. I'm in love with Bruce." She told him.

He wrapped his hand around her wrist. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed.

"Scarecrow took away your feelings for Bruce. You let yourself go. I can see it in your eyes, you have feelings for me." He told her.

She gasped. Her eyes filled with tears, and she turned her face from him. Jason wasn't wrong, and it killed her that Scarecrow had made her hate Bruce. However, she did love Bruce, and couldn't let whatever feelings she had for Jason get in the way of that.

Jason put his hand under her chin, and made her look at him. He brushed her tears away.

"Jason, please, don't do this." She asked him.

She knew that this would only lead to pain.

"I can't give up on you." He told her.

He had his hands on either side of her head. She wrapped her hands around his wrists, and closed her eyes.

"You should, I love Bruce, and what ever feelings I may have for you, don't come close to my feelings for him. I'm sorry, Jason." She told him.

"One day, you'll finally open your eyes, and see. I'll be there, waiting for you." Jason told her.

He pressed his lips to her. Almost immediately, he was pulled off of her. She gasped, and leaned against the wall. Batman threw Jason into the opposite wall. Batman picked Jason up, and pinned him to the wall, with his hand around Jason's throat.

"What did I tell you?!" Batman demanded.

Batman punched Jason. Hope was frozen to the spot. All she could do was watch.

"What can I say, she's my unicorn." Jason said.

Batman punched Jason again.

"No, you're going to stay away from her! I _will not_ tell you again Jason! I'm warning you." Batman told him.

"Are you worried she'll choose me, when she remembers?" Jason asked.

Batman pulled Jason off of the wall, and threw him to the ground. Batman got on top of him, and started punching him. Hope had to do something, before it was too late.

"Stop! Stop it! He's had enough! Batman doesn't kill! Batman, stop!" She yelled.

"Batman's fist stopped in mid air. He looked over at her.

"Turn him into Gordon, if you have to, just don't turn your back on your morals, because he doesn't listen." She pleaded.

Batman looked back at Jason, then let him go, and stood over him. Batman stepped away from him, and turned to Hope. He walked over to her.

"What are you doing out here, at this time of night?! Are you trying to get hurt?!" He demanded.

"I was getting dinner for me and Dick." She said.

"You can't go out by yourself! Not at night, in Gotham!' Batman told her.

She noticed Jason make his getaway.

"I'm sorry, I'll bring a babysitter with me the next time I go for a walk, because I'm a child." She snapped.

She didn't mean to snap at him, but everything was starting to get to her.

"Hope, you were kidnapped by Scarecrow, and drugged, and you almost died, you need to be more careful!" He told her.

"I know that! He made me hate everything that I love! He knew that you wouldn't hurt me, and that's why he had me distract you. It's why he made me fight you. So, you don't have to remind me of anything!" She told him.

"You've been remembering." He said.

She shook her head.

"Nothing new, but there is something that I didn't tell Bruce, that I remembered." She said.

He was watching every move she made.

"What?" He asked.

"You kissed me." She said.

He didn't say anything, he just looked at her.

"Why? Why did you kiss me when I was drugged?" She asked.

"I was trying to shock you back to yourself." He told her.

She looked away from him.

"So, I've heard, that I wasn't myself. Jason seems to think I'd leave Bruce, if I were to remember what happened." She said.

"Do you believe him?" He asked.

"Why would I? He doesn't like that I'm with Bruce, so he's going to say anything to get me away from Bruce." She said.

He turned her face, so she was looking at him again.

"I should have been there to protect you from Selena. I'm sorry." He told her.

"I don't blame you for anything." She said.

"You blame Bruce." He said.

"Of course not. It wasn't Bruce's fault either. I blame Scarecrow. He's the one that had Selena kidnap me, and he had me drugged." She said.

"I should have found you sooner. He wouldn't have gotten that far, if I had found you." He said, putting his hand on her cheek.

"Gotham needs you more than I do." She whispered.

"Not everytime. Sometimes, you're more important. I won't forgive myself, if anything were to happen to you." He told her.

"Why? Why me? What makes me so special? Why put me above your city?" She asked.

"You already know the answer to that, you just don't remember." He told her.

"So, tell me again." She whispered, her eyes never leaving his.

Her breath caught in her throat, as she watched him. He suddenly pulled her to him, and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and eagerly kissed him back.

"That's not exactly the response I expected, but I'm not complaining." She said.

He took a step away from her.

"I should not have done that, I apologise." He told her.

"Why?" She asked.

"You are with Bruce." He said.

"Is that the only reason?" She asked.

"Yes." He said.

"So, if I were to break it off with Bruce, then what would _you_ do?" She asked.

He froze. He stood there, just looking at her.

"You have feelings for me, otherwise, you would not put my protection over Gotham. So, if I wasn't with Bruce, would you let yourself be happy?" She asked, never taking her eyes off of his.

He still didn't speak. She walked up to him. She put her hand on his cheek. She stood on her tip toes, and pressed her lips to his.

"I guess it's a good thing that I am with Bruce, so you don't have to answer that question, until you're ready. You should go, Gotham needs saving. I'll be fine, I'm getting food, then I'm heading back to Dick." She said.

He tucked her hair behind her ear, hesitated, then pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Be careful." He told her.

She gave a nod. He took a step away from her, pulled his grappling gun out, aimed it, shot it, and was pulled away.

Hope exhaled loudly, and took a moment to compose herself. When she was ready, she made her way to the sandwich shop. She got a couple turkey and bacon wraps, then headed back to Dick.

"Hey, I thought you'd gotten lost." Dick said, when she returned.

"I had a run-in with Jason, or Red Hood, as the news calls him." She said.

"What?" Dick said, in shock.

"Oh, don't worry, Batman came and got him to leave. I'm fine." She said.

"Bruce should employ body guards for you. You can't go anywhere, can you?" Dick teased.

She pointed her finger at him.

"Do _not_ give Bruce _any_ ideas. I will hunt you down." She told him.

He laughed, and held his hands up, in surrender.

"I was joking. He said.

"Bruce would not take that as a joke. I would kick your butt, if he gave me bodyguards." She said.

"You're probably right. So, you're done for the night. I'll give you a ride back to the manor. I wanted to speak with Bruce about something." Dick said.

She gave a nod. They ate their wraps, then he drove her home.

"He would be in his office, if he's here. Tell him that I'll be waiting for him, in the bedroom. Tell him to join me at any time." She said.

Dick made a face.

"Gross." Dick said.

She rolled her eyes.

"Grow up, and give him my message." She said, with a smile.

"Fine." He said.

"Thank you." She said.

She headed for her bedroom, as Dick went to Bruce's office. She got to her room, and slid her flats off. She laid on the bed, with her legs hanging off. She pulled her cell phone out and texted Bruce.

 _ **I miss you. Getting in shower. See you when you get up here.**_

She got to her feet, and stripped. She went to the bathroom, and started the shower, getting in, when the temperature was right. She quickly washed, then let the water wash over her. It felt good on her tense muscles.

After a while, she decided to get out. She dried off, towel dried her hair, brushed her hair, and slipped on her black satin robe. She left the bathroom, and picked up her clothes. She set them in the basket that was in the cortner, by the window. She looked out the window, and watched as the wind blew through the grass and the trees. It was calming, and relaxing.

Her hair was moved off her shoulder, and her neck was exposed. She closed her eyes, and smiled, when Bruce kissed her neck, she leaned against him.

"I guess I missed the shower." Bruce said.

"Unfortunately." She said.

She turned to face him.

"Too bad. We'll have to figure something else out then." He said.

She smiled.

"I like the way you think." She said.

He laughed. He untied her robe, and slid it off of her. It fell to the floor. He pressed his lips to hers, and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her over to the bed.

X*X*X


	9. Chapter 9

Hope woke, to Bruce running his fingers through her hair.

"So Dick said something about a run-in with Jason again last night." Bruce said.

She exhaled loudly.

"Good morning to you too." She mumbled.

"Good morning. What happened?" Bruce asked.

"Jason wanted to know if I remembered anything. He was interupted by Batman." She said.

"Why were you out by yourself?" Bruce asked.

"Dick was busy, so I went to get dinner. I'm fine, Batman showed up, and made sure Jason didn't try anything." She said.

"Please be more careful." He told her.

She turned to her stomach, and propped her self up on her elbows.

"I'll try my best to be careful. Besides, I think that Jason finally got the message. He was very persuasive. So, I don't think we have to worry about him, anytime soon." She said.

He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I just worry about you." He said.

"I know, but I'm fine. I hate that I make you worry. I don't mean to, and it doesn't help that I'm a magnet for the crazy, either. I'm surprised that you've put up with me this long." She said.

He pulled her, and she moved closer to his face. He kissed her.

"There's nothing to _put_ up with, as you say, so stop thinking like that. It is not your fault that they came after you. They are insane." He told her.

She smiled, and kissed him.

"Completely insane." She whispered.

He wrapped his arms around her, and pressed his lips to hers. He flipped them around, so that she was under him. She laughed.

"Do you want to meet me for lunch?" She asked.

"Where do you have in mind?" She asked.

"The penthouse." He said.

She smiled.

"What time should I be there?" She asked.

"One." He said.

"It's a date." She said.

"It's a date." He repeated, then kissed her again.

She didn't want to stop, but he had to get ready Since it was a day off, for the most part, she was on call, if Dick needed her, so she was free all day. She got out of bed, and started getting dressed, as Bruce dressed. As Bruce put on a suit, Hope got into a pair of jeans and a black tank top. She brushed her hair, and put it into a bun at the top of her head.

As she laced up her sneakers, Bruce finished dressing as well. She smiled, and walked over to him.

"Don't you look handsome." She said.

He laughed.

"Thank you. You look great, yourself." He said.

She rolled her eyes.

"Right." She said.

"Then again, you do look great in anything." He said.

She blushed.

"I don't know how true that is, but thank you." She said.

He kissed her.

"I'll see you at one. I have to go." He said.

"Go ahead." She said.

He kissed her again, then left. She picked up their discarded clothes, and put them into the basket.

When she went downstairs, Alfred had breakfast ready for her. She decided to do some shopping. Alfred would drive her to wherever she wanted to go. He told her to give him a call, when she was finished, and he would pick her up.

She thanked him, and headed into the Gotham Mall. She walked around, for the most part, only going into a few stores.

She bought some new stuff that she knew Bruce would enjoy. She began looking at candles. Maybe she could find one that would help him relax. She picked a red candle up, and smelled it. Red honeysuckle. She liked it. She bought that one, and a lavendar one. By the time that she was finished with that, she had twenty minutes before she had to meet up with Bruce.

She left the mall, and headed for the penthouse. Bruce was there already, when she arrived. She set her bags on the table, and walked over to him.

He was looking out the window. She put her arms around his waist, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Did you have any fun shopping?" He asked.

She laughed.

"Of course I did." She said.

"Good." He said.

He kissed her, then led her to the bedroom.

*X*

Bruce had left five minutes ago, he had to get back to work. She was slipping her ballerina flats on, and grabbed her purchases, and headed for the car.

On her way to the car, Hope caught sight of Selena, standing off in the distance, just watching her. It was a little unsettling, as she got into the car. She put it in the back of her mind, as Alfred drove her back to the manor. Unfortunately, that wasn't the last time Hope saw Selena. Over the next month, Hope saw Selena _everywhere_ she went. She finally decided to tell Bruce about Selena.

He was standing behind the couch, watching the news. She walked over to him.

"Bruce, there's something I need to tell you." She said.

He looked at her.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I think Selena is following me. Every where I go, she's there. She just pops up, and watches me." She said.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Yeah, it's her." She said.

"How long?" He asked.

"About a month." She said.

"A month? Hope, why didn't you tell me sooner?" He asked.

"I needed to be sure. I wanted to be certain it wasn't just my imagination. I'm telling you now. I have a feeling she's about to do something." She said.

"Has she said something to you?" He asked.

"No, but she keeps tapping her watch. She's planning something, soon. I'm getting worried, Bruce." She said.

Bruce exhaled loudly.

He pulled her into his arms.

"I won't let anything happen to you Hope, I promise. Maybe it's a good time for you to take a vacation." He said.

"A vacation? Where?" She asked.

"You have a choice. You can go some place warm, sunny, and that has a beach, or you can go visit Thea for a while." He said.

"I would definitely love to see Thea again." She said.

He laughed.

"That's what I thought. I'll make a call, why don't you pack a bag?" He said.

She gave a nod. She looked up at him.

"Thank you Bruce." She said.

He smiled at her.

"I just want you to feel safe, if that's visiting Thea, then I'm going to help in any way that I can." He told her.

"I appreciate it, anyways." She said.

He brushed her hair away from her face, then kissed her.

"Go pack, and I'll make the calls." He told her.

She nodded, and went upstairs. She went into her closet, and pulled her suitcase down from the shelf. She put it on the bed, and opened it. She went back into the closet, to pick out some clothes.

She chose two sundresses, one black, the other was emerald. She grabbed a pink and a white cami top. She grabbed a pair of pajamas, and some undergarments. She grabbed a pair of jeans, and a pair of shorts. She found a black and white tank top to go with them.

She got everything into the suitcase, then went to pick out shoes. She picked out a pair of simple black heels, and her sneakers. She got them into the suitcase, then went to grab all of the extra things she would need. She packed those things in her tote bag. Her brush, makeup, bath stuff all went in there.

When she was finished, she brought it all downstairs, next to the door. She walked into the living room, to where Bruce was.

"Everything is set up. Alfred will bring us to the air field. The jet will bring you to Starling." He told her.

She smiled.

"Great." She said.

"We should get going." He said.

They walked to the door. He picked her suitcase and tote up, and they went outside. Bruce put the suitcase and tote in the trunk, and Hope got in the back of the car. Bruce go in after her, then they headed for the airfield.

"I called Dick, and let him know what was going on. He understands, and wants you to have fun." Bruce said.

She smiled.

"I'm sure I will. I will miss you though." She said.

He smiled.

"I am definitely going to miss you. I'll try to visit." Bruce told her.

He leaned in, and kissed her.

The ride went by fast. They got to the airfield before the jet. Bruce grabbed Hope's bags from the trunk, then leaned up against the trunk. He pulled her to him, and kissed. About five minutes later, the jet came in. It pulled to a stop, and the steps came down. A moment later, Thea came out of the jet. She walked over to Hope, with John Diggle close behind.

"Thea!" Hope said.

Thea hugged Hope.

"I figured I would come and get you." Thea said.

"Awesome." Hope said.

John grabbed Hope's bags, as Hope turned to Bruce.

"I'll call you, when I land." She told him.

He nodded. She kissed him, then walked with Thea, to the jet. She got on the jet, and waved to Bruce. The jet pulled away. Hope leaned back, and exhaled loudly. She missed him already." Hope said.

"Girl, you've got it bad!" Thea said.

Hope giggled.

"Just a little." Hope said.

Hope's phone buzzed, she had gotten a new text message.

 _ **Have fun. I'll talk to you soon.**_

Hope smiled.

"Apparently, he's got it bad as well. I did not expect that." Thea said.

"It snuck up on me, but I'm glad it did." Hope said.

 _ **Miss you. Talk soon.**_

"So, what prompted this visit?" Thea asked.

"Bruce suggested I take a vacation, while he takes care of a problem, for me." Hope said.

"What problem?" Thea asked.

"An old associate, and girlfriend, of Bruce's has been stalking me. Bruce told me that he will take care of it." Hope said.

Thea nodded.

"Don't worry, we'll have fun, and it will be relaxing." Thea said.

Hope nodded.

"Of course. I can't wait." Hope said.

John Diggle walked in from the cockpit.

"Mr. Diggle, how have you been? How is your daughter?" Hope asked.

John smiled, and told her about how big Sara had gotten.

When they landed, Hope called Bruce.

"Hey, I landed. We're heading to Thea's loft." Hope said.

 _"Okay, have fun."_ Bruce said.

"I will. I'll talk to you later." Hope said.

 _"Bye."_ Bruce said.

She ended the call, and walked with Thea, to the car. They got in, and headed for the loft. They got to the loft, and Diggle brought in Hope's bags.

"Ollie said you could crash on his bed." Thea said.

"Where will he be?" Hope asked.

"Oliver will be staying with Lila and me." Diggle said.

Hope nodded.

"Great, just us girls, then." Hope said.

Diggle put Hope's bags on Oliver's bed, then said his good byes, and left. Thea went, and poured them each a glass of wine.

"Here's to a fun, and relaxing vacation." Hope said, holding up her glass.

Thea touched her glass to Hope's an then they drank from their glass.

"So, what do you want to do?" Hope asked.

"Verdant?" Thea asked.

Hope smiled.

"Great. Will you straighten my hair for me?" Hope asked.

"Of course. Get dressed, then I'll do your hair." Thea said.

Hope nodded, then went to find something to wear. She decided on the green dress. She stripped, and slid into the dress. She slid on the black heels, then Thea straightened her hair. When she was done, she put makeup on.

She texted Bruce, to let him know Thea was taking her out. He told her to have a great time. When Thea had finished getting ready, they headed for the club. It didn't take long for them to get there, and they made it inside quickly as well. They headed for the bar. Hope sat on one of the stools at the end of the bar. Thea went behind the bar, and made them both a drink. The club was pretty full, and the music was in full swing.

"This is so amazing! I'm so proud of you Thea!" Hope told her.

"Thank you. The last I heard, you were working at Arkham Asylum." Thea said.

Hope laughed sarcastically.

"I used to, not anymore. The psychos became too much for me to handle. Two of them kidnapped me, at different times. After the second time, I decided that I needed to get away from that." Hope said.

"Rough. So, what are you doing now?" Thea asked.

"I work at the circus." Hope said.

Thea raised her eyebrows, in surprise.

"The circus?!" Thea said.

Hope gave a nod, and took a drink from her glass.

"Bruce had a ward that owns it. After I left Arkham, Dick offered me a job. I do a little bit of everything, but it keeps me busy." Hope said.

"That has got to be interesting." Thea said.

"It's fun." Hope said.

"Do you like it?" Thea asked.

Hope smiled.

"I do." Hope said.

They gave a nod, and held her glass to Thea's, then they drank.

"Are you happy, Hope?" Thea asked.

Hope exhaled loudly.

"I am. Even with everything that's happened, I am. Bruce is amazing." Hope said.

"What exactly has happened?" Thea asked.

Hope downed the rest of her drink, and handed the glass to Thea. Hope told Thea about what had happened, while Thea made her another drink. She told Thea about Penguin, Jason, Scarecrow, and Selena. She left out remembering things while she was drugged. No, those were secrets Hope couldn't share with anyone. At least, not yet. She had to wait.

"I guess I know my job. I'm going to get your mind off of everything. We'll go shopping, and to the spa." Thea said.

Hope laughed.

"I knew I could count on you Thea." Hope said.

"I'm always glad to help." Thea said, handing Hope's glass to her.

Hope took a drink. She smiled as Roy came up to them.

"Hope, I heard you were in town. How are you doing?" Roy asked.

Hope smiled.

"I'm good Roy, how are you?" Hope asked.

"I'm fine. Oliver said he would stop by in a little while." Roy said.

"Thank you Roy." Thea said.

Roy gave a nod, grabbed a towel, and went to the other end of the bar.

It was ten minutes later, that Oliver arrived. He found them quickly. He hugged them both.

"I was very surprised to get Bruce's call, but I'm happy you're here." Oliver said.

"I'm happy I'm here too. Thea has some fun stuff planned." Hope said.

"I'm sure she does." Oliver said.

"So, where is Felicity?" Hope asked.

As if on cue, the blonde hurried up to them.

"There you are Oliver. Oh, hello Hope." Felicity said.

"Hey Felicity." Hope said.

"Dig needs to talk to us, Oliver." Felicity said.

Oliver gave a nod, then turned to Hope.

"I'm sorry, I need to go." Oliver said.

Hope nodded.

"Go ahead." Hope said.

Oliver put his hand on Felicity's back, and led her away.

"That was a quick visit." Hope said.

"Yeah. It's rough for Ollie right now. There's a guy that put a bid in for Queen Consolodated." Thea said.

"Someone is trying to buy Oliver's company? Rough. How is he handling it?" Hope asked.

Thea exhaled loudly.

"You know Ollie." The said.

Hope watched Oliver disappear in to the crowd.

"Yeah, I know Ollie." Hope said.

Thea put her hand on Hope's shoulder. Hope looked at Thea.

"Ollie will be fine." Thea said.

Hope smiled.

"Yeah, I'm sure he will." Hope said.

*X*

It was about 1:30, when Hope decided to take a break. She needed some fresh air.

"Thea, I'm going outside." Hope said.

"What's wrong?" Thea asked.

Hope shook her head.

"Nothing, it's just really warm in here. I need some air." Hope said.

Thea nodded.

"Don't go too far." Thea said.

Hope left the bar,, and headed outside. The cool air felt good on her skin. She closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. A moment later, she started walking. She wasn't planning on going too far, just to the end of the block, and back.

She got halfway to the end of the block, when she was grabbed, and thrown up against the wall. She cried out in pain. A man placed his hand over her mouth. His other hand came up, holding a knife. Her eyes grew wide in terror.

"If you scream, I will kill you. Do you understand?" The man said.

Hope nodded.

"Little girls shouldn't be out this late at night. Something bad might happen." The man told her.

"You should take your own advice. Let the woman go, now."

The man grabbed Hope, and pulled her in front of him. He was using her as a shield. They were facing a man in red leather, a red hood, and he was pointing a bow and Arrow at them.

"Where's the Arrow?!" The man holding Hope asked.

"Around, but I'm sure he'll be dropping in soon. He doesn't like to miss the fun. So, before he gets here, why don't you let her go." The man in red said.

The man holding Hope laughed. I don't think so. Put the bow and arrow down, or I will slit her throat." The man said.

The man in red hesitated for amoment, but finally threw the bow and arrow to the ground. The man holding her, dug his knife into the side of her neck, drawing blood. She hissed in pain.

Suddenly, the man holding her, jolted, cutting her more, and dropped to the ground. Hope fell to her knees, holding the gash on her neck. She felt the blood seep through her fingers. She cringed. Bruce wasn't going to be happy about this. He'd probably never let her out of his sight again. Perfect.

The man in red was tending to the man that had her, while a man in dark green leather, with a green hood, walked over to her. He knelt down next to her.

"Let me see it." A deep, rough voice said.

She removed her hand from the wound. He pulled a piece of cloth out of somewhere. He pressed it to her neck.

"Put pressure on it." He told her.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Everyone calls me the Arrow." He said.

"Did you kill that guy?" She asked.

"No. It was a tranque arrow. Arsenal will deliver him to the police. What were you doing out here, all alone?" Arrow asked.

"I needed some fesh air. I was just going to the end of the block, then return to the club." She said.

Arrow helped her to her feet.

"Hope?! What's going on? Are you okay?" A voice asked.

Hope looked. It was Felicity. Hope gave a small smile, as Felicity hurried up to her.

"I'm fine. Apparently, it doesn't matter what city I'm in, the crazies always seem to find me." Hope said.

"Where's Thea?" Felicity asked.

"In the club. Where did you come from? The last time I saw you, you were leaving with Oliver." Hope said.

"I finished early, and came back to see what you were doing." Felicity said.

"You should get her looked over." Arrow told Felicity.

"Great. When Bruce hears about this, he's going to lock me up, and throw away the key." Hope said.

"He won't get that bad." Felicity said.

Hope gave a sarcastic laugh.

"You _really_ don't know Bruce." Hope said.

Felicity turned to Arrow.

"I'll make sure she's looked after." Felicity said.

The Arrow gave a nod.

"Good." Arrow said.

Hope looked from Felicity to the Arrow, and back to Felicity. Something was eating at the back of her mind. The way Felicity was looking at the Arrow, was nagging at her.

Felicity brought her over to a car, and they got in. Felicity started for the hospital.

"I'll let Thea know what happened." Felicity said.

"Thank you." Hope said.

Felicity pulled into the hospital, and brought Hope in.

X*X*X

As soon as Bruce had heard what happened, he had left Gotham. She'd been back to Thea's loft for ten minutes, when there was a knock at the door.

Hope was in the kitchen. Felicity answered the door.

"Where is she?"

There was no mistaking Bruce's voice.

"Kitchen." Felicity said.

She braced herself for whatever Bruce said. She turned to face him, as he walked in.

"Hope! I can't send you anywhere, can I? How are you doing?" Bruce asked.

"I'm fine, Arrow and Arsenal were able to get to me before anything could happen." She said.

"Something _did_ happen, Hope." He said.

She sighed.

"Bruce, I'm too tired for a lecture right now. Can it wait until the morning?" She asked.

He studied her for a moment. His features softened, as he caressed her cheek.

"It can wait. Let's get you to bed." Bruce said.

She smiled.

"No arguments here." She said.

They walked into the living room. Felicity was sitting on the couch.

"You can go, Ms. Smoak, I'll keep an eye on Hope." Bruce said.

"Good night." Felicity said.

She left, and Bruce locked the door. Hope and Bruce went up to the bed. She quickly changed, and Bruce stripped down to his boxer briefs. They got in bed, and she laid her head on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair.

"I wasn't trying to lecture you Hope. I heard something had happened to you, and I was worried. You scared me." He told her quietly.

"I didn't mean to make you worry. I'm sorry. I do appreciate that you came all the way out here, to make sure I was okay. Thank you." She said.

"I had to see that you were okay, for myself." He said.

"Thank you Bruce." She said.

"Try to get some sleep." Bruce said.

She closed her eyes, and slowly started to fall asleep, as he ran his fingers through her hair.

X*X*X


	10. Chapter 10

Bruce had to leave for Gotham the next day. A couple days after that, she had another visitor. A more unpleasant one.

Thea had left to work at the club, and Hope had opted to stay in, and relax. Hope had just entered the living room, when she noticed her visitor standing at the door to the balcony. Hope froze.

"Are you here to kidnap me again?" Hope asked.

Selena smirked. She was wearing her black, theif outfit, with the mask.

"Not this time. This time, I'm here to give you a warning. If I were you, I'd stay away from Gotham." Selena said.

"Why? Why do you want me to stay out of Gotham?" Hope asked.

"I never said _I_ wanted you to keep out of Gotham. No, I was paid pretty generously to warn you. I'd listen if I were you. You don't know these people. You do what they tell you, or they will kill you, so, do not return to Gotham." Selena said.

"Who are they?" Why don't they want me in Gotham?" Hope asked.

Selena smirked.

"They didn't say." Selena said.

"If you can't tell me who is threatening me, then I'm not staying away from Gotham." Hope said.

"It's your funeral. Don't worry though, I'll be right there, to console Bruce." Selena said.

With that, Selena went out to the balcony, and swan dived off. Hope's heart started racing. What the hell? Her brain went into overdrive. She needed to tell Bruce what happened. She pulled out her cell, and dialed his number. When he answered, she told him what had taken place with Selena. He was not happy. He told her to go through the loft, and to lock every entry point. He told her to get to the bed, and said that he was going to figure everything out, make some calls, then he would call her back. In the mean time, he wanted her to stay put. She promised that she would. Shortly after that, she ended the call, and curled up on the bed.

About an hour later, her phone rang. It was Bruce. He told her that he had spoken to Oliver and Felicity, and Felicity knew of someone that could help find Selena. Bruce also told her that he was making preparations, so that she could return. She wanted to know if that was wise. He told her that when she returned, she would be safe, he'd make sure of it. She told him to let her know when it would be safe to return home. He said he would, and then she ended the call. She set her cell on the bedside table.

She changed into pajamas, and got in to bed. She suddenly saw a figure coming up the stairs. She sat up, on full alert. The person stepped out of the shadows. It was the Arrow. She relaxed.

"You startled me. How did you get inside, I locked the doors." She said.

"I have my ways. How are you doing?" The Arrow asked.

She gave a sarcastic laugh.

"The woman that kidnapped me, just threatened me to never return to my home. I'd say I'm a little on edge. Are you Felicity's friend that Bruce told me about?" She asked.

"Yes. Ms. Smoak helps me from time to time." Arrow said.

Hope gave a slight nod.

"Did you find Selena yet?" She asked.

"She's left the city. She was moving quick. I will keep an eye out, in case she returns." Arrow said.

"Thank you. Not just for this, but for the other day, as well. I never got to tell you." She told him.

"I was, and am just doing my job." He told her.

"I appreciate it all the same." She said.

He gave a nod.

"I need to go. If you need to get a hold of me, contact Felicity." He told her.

"I'll remember that." She said.

He left, going down the stairs, and going out to the balcony. She went down and relocked the door, then returned to bed. She grabbed her cell, and texted Bruce.

 _ **She left the city. Don't know much more. Good night. Sleep well.**_

She put her cell back on the table, then got comfortable. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

X*X*X

Hope was on her way to the jet. She was heading back to Gotham, finally, after a month of being in Starling. She had a large floppy hat on, and sunglasses. She was trying to be inconspicuous.

She boarded the jet, and took her hat and sunglasses off. She laid them on the the table. She suddenly realised that there was someone else on board with her. She turned, and smiled, when she saw who it was.

"Bruce! You didn't tell me that you were going to pick me up. I'm not complaining, I've missed you." She said.

He smiled, as she walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I have missed you as well." Bruce said.

He leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers. She eagerly kissed him back. Bruce tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Why don't we sit down." Bruce said.

They took their seats, and Bruce took her hand in his. She studied him for a moment. Something was off with him, he seemed tense.

"Is everything okay, Bruce?" She asked.

Bruce exhaled loudly.

"Hope, there's something I need to tell you, before we get back." Bruce told her.

She squeezed his hand gently.

"What is it Bruce?" She asked.

"Right after Selena spoke with you, I found out something. Something big, and I had no clue." He told her.

"Okay, so, what is it? Whatever it is, I'm sure I'm not going to freak out." She said.

His lips twitched.

"I have a son." He told her.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Bruce had a son. What would this mean?

"Hope?" Bruce asked.

She looked into his eyes.

"I'm fine, that just surprised me, that's all. Wow, so, what happened? How did you find this out?" She asked.

He gave a small smile, then told her what had happened. The mother, Talia, had drugged Bruce, and took advantage of him. Damian had been born nine months later.

Talia had brought Damian to Bruce, because her father, Ras, had been murdered. Talia thought that Bruce would be able to keep Damian safe.

Bruce also informed her about Talia's father. Apparently, Ras was the leader of a group called the League of Assassins. An enemy had killed him. Talia had left Damian to find her father's murderer. Bruce had been trying to channel Damian's emotions.

Bruce had told Damian about Hope already.

"I do have to warn you. He acts older than his physical age, and he can be very critical when he speaks to you. Try not to be offended by what he says." Bruce told her.

Hope exhaled loudly.

"Wow. How has he been doing?" She asked.

"It's hard for him not to think like an assassin, but he's learning. It's rough." He said.

She nodded.

"It's understandable. It's almost comparable to trying to undo brainwashing. It's not going to be easy. So, has Dick met him?" She asked.

Bruce gave a small chuckle.

"Yeah. They're not too fond of each other." Bruce said.

She smiled.

"That doesn't surprise me. So, how are you adjusting to having a kid under your roof again?" She asked.

"Damian is much different than Dick was, even Jason wasn't like Damian." He said.

"They're different people. All you can do is be there for him." She told him.

For the rest of the flight, they talked about what had happened while she'd been gone.

*X*

When the jet landed, they exited it, and headed for Bruce's car. They got in, and headed for the manor. It didn't take Bruce long to make it home. He parked the car, and they got out. Bruce took her hand in his, as they walked to the door. As they got to the door, it opened. Hope smiled, as she saw Alfred.

"Hope, it's great to have you home. Master Bruce and I have missed you." Alfred said.

Hope gave Alfred a hug.

"I've missed you too Alfred, and I'm happy to be home." Hope said.

Alfred leaned closer to her.

"You might rethink that when you meet our newest addition, Miss Hope." Alfred said.

"I'm sure I will be fine." She whispered.

"Where is he, Alfred?" Bruce asked.

"I am right here, Father." A child's voice said, from the stairs.

It was a mini Bruce standing on the stairs. There was no mistaking whose child that was. It was breathtaking.

"Damian, this is my girlfriend, Hope. Hope, my son, Damian." Bruce said.

Hope took a step towards Damian. Damian was studying her. She smiled up at him.

"Hello Damian. It's nice to meet you." She said.

Damian walked down the steps, and stood on the floor, in front of her. He didn't say anything for a moment. She waited patiently for him to say something. Damian looked at Bruce, then back at Hope.

"Father says that you were on vacation visiting friends." Damian said.

She smiled.

"Yes, I was. I saw friends that I hadn't seen in years." Hope said.

"So, what made you quit your job at Arkham Asylum? Was it because you were kidnapped twice, or was it something else?" Damian asked.

"Damian! Were you on the computer again?!" Bruce demanded.

Damian looked at Bruce.

"You had to know I would look into her back ground." Damian said.

"Hope, I'm sorry." Bruce said.

She shook her head.

"It's fine Bruce, he was just curious." Hope said.

"So, why did you leave?" Damian asked.

"Just because you're curious, does not mean I have to answer you." She said.

"I could make you talk, I know how." Damian said.

"Damian!" Bruce warned.

"Oh, I'm sure you've been taught many forms of extracting information, and you can threaten me with violence, but if the Joker couldn't get me to cooperate, I doubt you'll have much different luck." She told him.

"I've heard of the one they call the Joker. Grandfather says that he is not one to be underestimated, that he brings unneccessary destuction, and chaos." Damian said.

"Yes, well, your Grandfather wasn't wrong." She said.

Damian's lips twitched. It reminded her of Bruce.

"You survived the Joker though." Damian said.

"Yes. I did." She said.

"Okay, enough talking about the Joker. Damian, wait for me, in my office, I need to speak with you." Bruce said.

"Yes, Father. It was nice to meet you Hope." Damian said.

"You too Damian." Hope said.

Damian left for the office.

"I'm sorry about him." Bruce told her.

"He's fine. He was just trying to push my buttons." She said.

He gave a nod.

"Why don't you go upstairs, and decompress? I'll be up in a little while, to welcome you home properly." He told her.

She smiled.

"I like the sound of that." She said.

He kissed her, then she went up stairs. Bruce headed for his office. Hope got to her room, and started stripping. She went into her closet, and put on a pair of cloth shorts, and a tank top. She grabbed her discarded clothes, and put them in the basket. She got onto the bed, and laid down. She grabbed a pillow, and hugged it to her chest. She inhaled deeply, and smiled. She was happy to be home.

There was a knock at the door. She sat up, and set the pillow to the side. She got up, and went to answer the door.

"Hello Damian." She said.

"Father informs me that I was out of line for questioning you. I would like to apologise to you." Damian told her.

"Thank you Damian." She said.

He studied her for a moment.

"Father holds you in very high regard." He said.

She smiled.

"Does he? That's good, I guess. I hold him in high reard, as well." She said.

He gave a nod.

"Pennyworth is very fond of you, as well." Damian said.

She laughed at his use of Alfred's name.

"And, I'm fond of him." She said.

"Enough Damian. Have you apologised?" Bruce asked, coming up to them.

"Of course I have. I was just making conversation." Damian said.

"Why don't you find Alfred." Bruce said.

"I don't need a baby sitter." Damian said.

He took a step back. Bruce passed him, and walked into the bedroom. He smiled down at her.

"Welcome home." He told her.

He leaned down, and kissed her.

"It's great to be home." She said.

He leaned in, and kissed her again. They heard a shuffling. Bruce sighed.

"You don't have to find Alfred, just find something to do for now, please." Bruce told Damian.

"Fine." Damian said.

Bruce cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her again.

"He might want to spend time with you." She said.

"I don't know about that one." He mumbled.

"I don't believe that. He's a young boy, that just met hs father. He wants to know you." She told him.

"You just met him." He said.

She smiled, and shook her head.

"That doesn't matter. Go ahead. Spend some time with Damian, I'll still be here later." She told him.

He exhaled loudly. He pressed his forehead to hers.

"What are you going to do?" He asked.

She smiled.

"I'm going to take a nap." She said.

"Sounds like fun." He said.

She laughed.

"We can have some fun later, but right now, you are going to spend time with your son." She said.

"Okay, have a nice nap. I'll have Alfred bring up some food for lunch." He told her.

She leaned up, and kissed him.

"Go." She said.

He left the room, and she crawled into bed. She grabbed one of Bruce's pillows, and hugged it to her chest. She buried her face in it, and inhaled deeply. Bruce's scent. She missed it so much when she was visiting Thea.

At the thought of Thea, Hope's hand went to her neck, to the slowly fading scar. Her heart sped up, as she remembered that night. If Arrow, and Arsenal hadn't shown up when they had, she probably would be dead.

At that thought, her nightmare came back to her. The one from the coma, when the Joker stabbed her, at her wedding. She couldn't stop the tears from falling. She knew it wasn't real, but it had cared her to her care, and dread filled her veins.

She queezed her eyes shut, and burried her gace into the pillow again. She began sobbing. The dream had felt too real.

She cried herself to sleep.

*X*

 _Hope was at the circus. She recognised it immediately. It was empty, and quiet. Too quiet. Hope walked to the center of the tent, and then stopped._

 _Fear suddenly gripped her. She found it hard to breathe. She closed her eyes, and tried to calm down. She slowly counted to ten, then opened her eyes._

 _Bodies were laying on the ground. Not just any bodies, but they were people she knew, and loved. Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Damian, Thea, Felicity, and Oliver, among others. They were all dead, slaughtered. She screamed, as she fell to her knees. She cried. Everyone was gone. She heard someone laugh. She looked around, but no one was there. She knew that laugh though. She'd never forget that laugh._

 _"Leave me alone!" She screamed._

 _The laughing didn't stop, it just got louder. She got to her feet, and ran out of the tent. It had begun raining. She ran, until she came to a field. She held her hands up, to find them covered in blood. It wasn't rain. It was blood. It was raining blood, and it was covering her. She fell to her knees, and screamed._

 _Suddenly, there was a hand around her neck, and she was being pulled to her feet. Her eyes went wide._

 _"I've missed you so much, Doll face. Did you miss me?" Joker asked._

 _She wrapped her hands around his wrist._

 _"Leave me alone! Go away!" She gasped._

 _He laughed._

 _"I don't think so Doll, I've been patient long enough. Now, I'm taking what's mine. There's no one standing in my way now. You're all mine." He told her._

 _He pressed his lips to hers, and she struggled to get away from him. She couldn't, he was too strong for her._

 _"No one will take you away again. I'm going to make sure of it." Joker told her._

 _He wrapped his other hand around her neck also. He began squeezing. Her breath left her lungs. She couldn't breathe._

Hope gasped, as she sat up in bed. She was breathing heavy.

"Nightmares?"

Hope jumped in surprise. She put her hand over her heart.

"Damian, I wasn't expecting you to be standing there. What are you doing in here? Does your father need me?" She asked.

"Father does not know that I am here. I heard a disturbance. What were you dreaming about?" Damiann asked.

She shook her head.

"You shouldn't worry about my nightmares, they're nothing." She said.

"They've disturbed you, enough to scare you." Damian said.

"Which is why you shouldn't worry about them. They're just dreams, and no matter how bad they get, they can't hurt me." She said, getting out of the bed.

"Why did the Joker kidnap you?" Damian asked.

Memories of her most recent nightmare invaded her mind. She flinched.

"That's not something I should be discussing with you." She said, wrapping her arms around herself.

She did not want to even think about Joker, or talk about him, especially to Damian.

"Why not?" He asked.

"You're a child." She said.

"I am not." He told her.

She shook her head.

"Physically, yes, you are, and you should try to stay like that for as long as you can. You only get one childhood, you should enjoy it. That does not include talking about _him_." she said.

"What did he do, to make you so afraid to even speak his name?" He asked.

She exhaled loudly.

"The fact that he kidnapped me isn't enough?" She asked.

He crossed his arms in front of him, and moved closer to her. She shook his head.

"That alone, no. I've read about you. I get the feeling it takes a little more than that, to rattle you." He said.

"You don't know me that well, Damian." She said.

"Maybe not, but from what I've observed of my father, and have heard about him, he does not choose to be with weak females. From what he's told me about you, you're not weak." He said.

"Maybe he doesn't know me. I'm not feeling very strong. Especially when I can't get away from _him_." She whispered.

"Your dreams, they're about him." Damian said.

"Dreams are happy, pleasant. These are anything but that." She said.

"What happens?" He asked.

She shook her head. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Bruce would not want me talking about this with you." She said.

"Have you told Father about your dreams?" Damian asked.

"Not really. He knows that I'm having nightmares, but not what they are about. I was hoping that my vacation would lessen the nightmares, but it didn't work." She said.

She sat on the foot of the bed. He walked over, and stood in front of her.

"Have you spoke to anyone about your dreams?" He asked.

She shook her head again.

"No." She said.

"With what your profession was, don't you think you should?" He asked.

She looked at him. He wasn't wrong. She frowned.

"Why do you want to know about this? What's in it for you?" She asked.

He crossed his arms in front of him.

"Father worries about you." He said.

"Bruce sent you up here, to get information from me?" She asked.

"Father does not know I'm up here. He actually told me not to bother you. He's very protective of you." Damian said.

"You don't like to listen to your father, do you?" She asked.

"Am I bothering you?" He asked.

"It's slightly uncomfortable, but no, you're not bothering me. So, if he didn't ask you to come up here, then why did you?" She asked.

"I told you, I heard a disturbance." He said.

"But you stayed. You could have left, when you saw nothing was wrong, but you didn't. Why?" She asked.

"Just like you choose not to answer my questions, I choose not to answer yours." He told her.

She studied him for a moment, then smiled.

"Nice answer, very subtle." She said.

He tilted his head to the side.

"If you want answers from me, then you can answer mine." He told her.

She laughed. He was quite the little negotiater.

"Deal." She said.

That seemed to surprise him. He almost looked like he didn't believe her.

"You're different. I can see what Father sees in you." He told her.

Now, it was her turn to be surprised.

"Thank you, I think." She said.

He gave a nod.

"There you are, Damian. What are you doing in here?! I told you to let her rest." Bruce said, walking into the room.

Hope smiled. Damian had said that Bruce didn't know he was up here. She wondered how often he did this to Bruce.

"It's fine, Bruce. He didn't wake me. We were just talking, getting to know each other." She said.

"Really?" Bruce said.

"She was a therapist, it was her job to get people to talk." Damian said.

Bruce narrowed his eyes at Damian.

"Alfred has your lunch ready Damian." Bruce said.

Damian left, and Hope stood. She walked over to Bruce.

"He wasn't bothering me." She told him.

"He was questioning you again, wasn't he?" He asked.

"He's just curious." She said.

He wrapped his arms around her.

"It appears that he would like to be in your company, than mine. I've caught him a couple times checking in on you." Bruce said.

"He seems to think that you're worried about me. How often do you two talk about me?" She asked.

He smiled.

"Once or twice." He said.

She laughed.

" _Just_ once or twice, that's what it sounded like." She said.

He smiled, and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Maybe a little more, but I do worry about you. I don't want anything to happen to you." He said.

She placed her hand on the side of his face.

"I know." She whispered.

She leaned up, and kissed him.

X*X*X


	11. Chapter 11

_Hope was in the living room, watching the news. Breaking news suddenly came on_

 _"There was another break out from Arkham Asylum, tonight. At approximately 8:30, the Joker went missing from his cell. As the information becomes available, we will let the public know." The anchor said._

 _Dread filled her veins._

 _"Bruce!" She called out._

 _No answer. He heart sped up. Why wasn't Bruce answering? She left the living room, and stopped at the bottom of the stairs._

 _"Bruce?! Where are you?" She yelled._

 _Still no answer._

 _"Alfred?! Damian?!" She yelled._

 _When she didn't get an answer, she felt the panic start taking hold of her. She went over to the land line. She needed to get a hold of Bruce._

 _The line was dead. She ran upstairs, to the bedroom. She grabbed her cell from the bedside table. She went to make the call, but it said that she had no service. That didn't make sense. She needed to do something. She bit her lip, and headed downstairs. She'd go to the police, they'd be able to protect her, and be able to find Bruce. She got to the bottom of the stairs, and stopped. The door to Bruce's office was open, and there was a pool of blood on the floor. It was a lot of blood, too much blood, for one to survive._

 _She felt her feet bring her closer to the office. She felt the blood on her bare feet, as she walked into the dark office. Her hand found the light switch, and flipped it on. The light came on, and her eyes adjusted. When they had, she screamed. They were all dead. Bruce was wearing his Batman suit, but the cowl wasn't on his face, but was on the floor, at his feet, and there was a bullet wound in between his eyes. His eyes were still open._

 _The next one she saw was Damian. He too had been shot in the head. Tears were straming from her eyes._

 _"Damian!" She sobbed._

 _She grabbed Damian, and pulled him to her. She held him, and sobbed, rocking back and forth. He was too young to be dead._

 _Through her tears, she saw Alfred's body. Fresh tears fell. She shook her head._

 _"No!" She cried._

 _Alfred's neck had been cut from ear to ear. She buried her face into Damian's chest, crying uncontrollably._

 _She heard a noise that made her blood run cold. She looked up, as the laughing got louder. Joker had killed them. He was going to kill her next. She gently laid Damian back down on the floor, and stood up. She wiped away the tears. She left the office, and went to the door. She tried the handle, but it was locked._

 _"No, no, no, no, no!" She cried._

 _Maybe the back door was open. She went hrough the living room. When she saw the TV, she stopped. Her picture was on the screen._

 _"The body of Dr. Hope Lake was found at Wayne Manor, earlier tonight. Sources say that Joker broke into Wayne Manor and slaughtered the former psycologist. The body was almost unrecognisable. She was identified by dental records." The newscastor said._

 _She heard Joker's laugh again. She tore her attention away from the TV, and continued out to the back door. He was going to kill her tonight._

 _She got to the door, and took a deep breath. The door opened when she turned the handle. She breathed a sigh of relief. She hurried outside. She came up to the pool._

 _"Doll face."_

 _She stopped in her tracks, a couple of feet from the pool. She closed her eyes and prayed that she'd make it out of this, alive._

 _"Doll face."_

 _She reopened her eyes, and slowly turned around. Tears filled her eyes once more. Joker's face had blood splatter on it, and his clothes were covered in blood. He was smiling at her._

 _"Why so sad? Now there's no one standing in our way." He told her._

 _She shook her head._

 _"You killed them all. Damian was a child! How could you kill him?!" She asked._

 _"The little brat got in my way. He just couldn't accept that you were mine. I do have one question though. Did you know?" He asked._

 _She didn't say anything._

 _"Don't hold out on me Princess." He told her._

 _He brought his hands from behind his back. He had a pocket knife in his hand. She backed up, getting closer to the pool. He held the knife up, and walked towards her._

 _"Did you know?" He asked again._

 _Did I know what?" She asked._

 _She backed up as he got closer to her. She was getting dangerously close to the edge of the pool._

 _"That Bruce Wayne was Batman." He said._

 _"Yes." She said._

 _He laughed._

 _"Of course you did. Did he tell you?" He asked._

 _"No." She said._

 _She got to the edge of the pool, and couldn't go any farther. He was now right in front of her._

 _"How did you find out?" He asked._

 _"Red Hood." She said._

 _Joker laughed again._

 _"Of course he did." Joker said._

 _Hope gasped, when he grabbed her neck, with his free hand. He brought the knife up to her face. She was gasping for air. He brought her closer, and pressed his lips to hers. She wanted to struggle to get away, but she felt the knife at her neck. He dug it into her neck, and she gasped. She felt the knife slice her neck open. She whimpered, and he laughed._

 _She felt his lips, and tongue, on the cut._

 _"Delicious." He whispered in her ear._

 _She whimpered again. Suddenly, he pushed her, by her neck, backwards. Out of habit, her hands shot out, to try to stop herself from falling. She wasn't quick enough. His jacket slipped through her fingertips. He was laughing, as she crashed into the water._

 _She flailed around, in the deep end of the pool, trying to get her bearings. Her lungs were burning, as her head broke the surface of the water. She frantically gasped for air. She felt Joker grab her. He pulled her towards the shallow end. She was too focused on getting air into her lungs, to put up much of a fight._

 _She managed to get her feet under her, when they got to the shallow end. Joker pressed her up against the pool wall._

 _"Let's have fun. We can make up for lost time." He said._

 _Suddenly, he knocked her legs out from under her, and pushed her under the water. She managed to get her feet under her once more, and stood back up. She was gasping and coughing. He grabbed her, and pulled her out of the pool, with him._

 _He laid her down on the grass. She was spitting out the water from the pool. Joker pinned her down, and pulled the knife out again. This was it, he was going to kill her._

 _"Let's begin Doll face." He said._

 _He began slicing her up. She screamed, and cried, while he laughed. The pain was mind numbing. She lost track of time._

 _"Oh Doll face, you're a masterpiece. I've really outdone myself this time. Now, let's get you cleaned up, it's bath time." He said._

 _He picked her up, and dropped her back into the water. The chlorine in the water burned the open wounds on her. She cried out. The air escaped her, and she swallowed some water. She scrambled to get her feet under her. When she did, she shot her head out of the water. She choked, and tried getting air into her lungs. Her head was spinning._

 _She was trying to get her bearings, when she felt his hand on her head. A moment later, he pushed her back under the water. She flailed her arms around, trying to propel her self to the surface._

 _When she broke the surface, she barely had a chance to catch her breath, before he was submerging her again._

 _Her lungs were on fire, and her vision was getting darker. She barely made it to the surface. She was gasping, as she tried to get air inside her lungs._

 _"The third time is the charm." Joker said._

 _He pushed her under the water once more. She hadn't been ready, and water filled her mouth. She stopped struggling, as her vision went blurry._

Hope gasped for air, as she shot up. She was confused, and found it hard to get air in her lungs. She jumped, and screamed, when she felt hands touch her. She fell out of bed, with a thud. She scrambled to get to the corner.

She brought her knees to her chest, and tried to make herself as small as possible. She buried her face in her knees.

"Hope?" A voice said, gently.

She gasped, and looked up.

"Bruce?" She said, her voice breaking.

He nodded. she sobbed, and threw herself into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her, and she cried into his chest.

"What happened, I heard screaming." Damian asked.

"It's fine. Go put those away, where they belong." Bruce said, talking about the swords that Damian had in his hands.

"What happened?" Damian asked.

"Go back to bed. I've got this handled." Bruce said.

"Was it nightmares again?" Damian asked.

"Damian, please." Bruce said.

Damian exhaled loudly.

"Fine, but this is not over. I will get answers." Damian said.

"But not right now." Bruce told him.

Damian left the room, as Alfred walked in.

"Master Bruce, is there anything I can do?" Alfred asked.

"I'll let you know, Alfred. Thank you." Bruce said.

"Very well sir." Alfred said.

He left, shutting the door behind him. Hope was holding onto Bruce, for dear life. She was shaking like a leaf, in his arms.

He ran his fingers through her hair, as she cried. He just sat on the floor, holding her. After a little while, she calmed down. She sat there, listening to Bruce's heart beat. It was calming, and soothing, to hear. It was comforting to listen to it, after that nightmare that she'd had.

"Tell me what happened Hope." He said.

She hid her face in his chest.

"Hope, please talk to me." He asked her.

"It felt so real." She said.

"Tell me about it." He said.

She told him about her nightmare. All of it. Fresh tears fell from her eyes, as she relived the dream.

He kissed the top of her head.

"It's okay, you're safe. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Damian, or Alfred, I promise you. Damian is fine, and so is Alfred. As for _him_ , he is securely locked away in Arkham. All of us are safe." Bruce told her.

She gave a nod.

"it just felt so real." She mumbled.

"I know it did, but as you can tell, I'm alive, and well, and I'm not going anywhere." He told her.

"Thank you Bruce." She whispered.

"Why don't we get you back into bed." He said.

"I can't go to sleep." She told him.

"You don't have to sleep, but it's more comfortable than the floor is." He said.

She gave a nod. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He gathered in his arms, and carried her over to the bed. He laid her down, and covered her up. He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Is there anything I can get you? Maybe some tea, to help calm your nerves?" He asked.

She started to panic, and grabbed his arm.

"Don't leave." She said.

"I'm not going far, and tea will help. If you want I can send Damian in, to stay with you, until I return." He said.

She bit her lip, and gave a nod.

"Damian, you can come in now." Bruce called.

A moment later, the door opened, and Damian walked in. Relief flooded her veins. It might have been just a dream, but it was reassuring to see him alive with her own eyes. Bruce kissed her forehead, then turned to Damian.

"Keep her company, until I return." Bruce said.

Damian gave a short nod.

"I'll be right back." Bruce said.

Bruce left the room, and Damian walked over to her.

"May I sit?" He asked.

She nodded, and he sat on the edge of the bed, next to her. He turned, so that he was facing her.

"Was it the Joker again?" He asked.

She flinched at the name.

"Don't say his name." She whispered.

He gave a nod.

"Was it him?" He asked.

"Yes." She whispered.

"What did he do?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"No. I can't tell you." She whispered.

"Why not?" He asked.

Her eyes filled with more tears.

"It's too painful, and traumatising, to remember, and talk about." She told him.

"What did he do to you?" He asked.

She shook her head again.

"It's not what he did to me." She said.

"Then what is it? You can tell me, I can handle it." He told her.

She looked away from him, and didn't answer him. She felt him take her hand in his. He gently squeezed.

"Tell me, please." He said.

She frowned, but looked at him once more. His face was void of any emotion, but his eyes were worried.

"It felt too real to be just a dream. He had taken out everyone that stood in his way." She said.

"What else?" He asked.

Her heart was breaking. It hurt to even think about losing them.

"Damian, please." She pleaded with thim.

He squeezed her hand gently, again.

"Hope, I will be able to handle it, just tell me." He told her.

His eyes were locked on hers. She exhaled loudly, and broke.

"He killed Alfred, Bruce, and...you. In Bruce's office. You were lifeless, in my arms. All of you were gone." She said, her voice breaking.

He wasn't moving, he was barely breathing.

"That will never happen, Father and I won't let it." He told her.

"If he gets out, he'll come right for me, and will take out _anyone_ in his way. He will stop at nothing to get to me." She told him.

"He'll have to go through me first. I will not let him get to you, ever." He told her.

Tears fell from her eyes.

"I should be protecting you, not the other way around." She said.

"You weren't brought up by assassins. I am more than capable to protect you." He told her.

"You should have had a normal childhood." She said.

"That's debatable." He said.

She shook her head.

"It's not fair to you." She said.

Before he could reply, Bruce returned, with a tray of tea. When he saw fresh tears, he frowned.

"What happened Damian?" Bruce asked.

"Nothing. Hope was giving her thoughts about how I grew up." Damian said.

Bruce set the tray on the bedside table. He put his hand on Damian's shoulder.

"Head back to bed, I mean it this time. Go to sleep. I've got it from here." Bruce told him.

Damian gave her hand one last squeeze, then stood. He left the room, without another word. Bruce took his place. He grabbed the cup of tea, and handed it to her. She took a few sips, then handed it back to him.

"Do you want any more?" He asked.

She shook her head. He put the cup back on the tray. He got up and went over to the door. He closed it, and then climbed in next to her, in the bed. He pulled her to him, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Are all of your nightmares like that?" He asked.

She didn't answer right away.

"They're all different, but end the same way, with Joker killing me." She said.

He kissed the top of her head.

"When did they start?" He asked.

She closed her eyes, as they filled with tears.

"The coma. It was around the time that I flatlined." She said.

He ran his fingers through her hair.

"Dick told you, didn't he?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah. I told him that I was stabbed, and that I think I died. He told me that was when I flatlined." She said.

"Did _he_ stab you?" He asked.

"It's _always him_." She whispered.

He held her tightly.

"I won't let him hurt you, Hope." He told her.

"I know." She said.

He was massaging her scalp, and she was starting to drift off to sleep, but she was fighting it.

"I'l be right here, I'm not going any where." He whispered.

"Thank you." She mumbled, as she drifted off.

X*X*X


	12. Chapter 12

Hope decided to go back to work, to try to get her mind off her nightmares. Dick kept an eye on her while she was there.

About a week after she returned, she had a visitor. She was surprised.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Dick demanded.

"I came to see Hope, not _you_." Damian spat.

"Hey, don't forget who owns this place. You do _not_ have to be here." Dick snapped.

"Okay, you two, take a step back." Hope said, standing up.

She walked over, and stood between them.

"You two sound like siblings. Dick, you're an adult, act like it. Damian, why don't we go for a walk." She said.

Damian gave a nod.

"Fine. I'm hungry anyways." Damian said.

Dick rolled his eyes.

"Dick, I'll be back, page me if you need me." She said.

"Don't worry about it, you can have the rest of the day off. Just take him with you." Dick said.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

Dick nodded.

"Yeah, go ahead." Dick told her.

"Okay, but if you need me, call me." She told him.

"I will." Dick said.

Hope grabbed her purse, then headed out the door. Damian followed her. They walked to the sandwich shop. They both got wraps. They sat at one of the tables that were set up outside.

"So, not that I'm complaining, but, why did you pay me a visit?" She asked.

"Are you still having nightmares?" He asked.

She exhaled loudly.

"Bruce doesn't know you're here, does he?" She asked.

He gave a shrug. She smiled and shook her head.

"He's at Wayne Tower." Damian said.

"You ditched Alfred, and came to see me." She said.

"Basically." He told her.

Her phone rang. She smiled, and answered.

"Hello Bruce." She said.

"Is he with you?" Bruce asked.

She looked at Damian.

"Yes he is. We are at the sandwich shop, then we'll head back to the manor." She said.

"Aren't you working?" Bruce asked.

"Damian showed to visit, and Dick gave me the rest of the day off. Damian and I had decided to get something to eat." She said.

"You'll call Alfred to pick you up?" Bruce asked.

"Yes. Do you know when you'll be home?" She asked.

"I'll see what I can do. I might be able to get out early." He said.

She smiled.

"Great. I'll see you then." She said.

She ended the call.

"So, you never answered my question." Damian said.

She sighed. He wouldn't stop, until he had answers.

"Yes." She said.

" _Him_?" He asked.

She flinched.

"Yes." She said.

"He's still locked up at Arkham." He told her.

She gave a nod.

"Yeah, I know, for now." She said.

"He won't get to you. There's no chance. Father will make sure that the manor is a fortress, and I was trained by the best assassins in the world. He will _not_ get to you. He'll have to go through me first." He told her.

She gave a sad smile.

"I appreciate that, but that's what I'm afraid of." She said.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"He'll kill you, Damian. He won't care that you're a child. He'll kill you, because you're in his way." She told him.

"I can take care of him, I am Ras Al Guhl's heir. He will not get close to me, to do anything." He said.

"He won't have to get close, if he shoots you." She said.

"I have great reflexes." He told her.

She shook her head.

"He won't stop until he kills everyone standing in his way, and then he'll kill me." She said.

"Is that what he does in your nightmares?" He asked.

She gave a nod.

"Yeah, it's a recurring theme. He always saves me for last, after I've found everyone slaughered." She said.

"Have you told Father this?" He asked.

"Yes, he knows." She said.

He gave a nod.

They finished eating, and she called Alfred. Alfred picked them up, and brought them back to the manor.

Hope headed upstairs, to change into something more comfortable. She put on a pair of yoga pants, and a tank top. She put her hair up in to a high pony tail.

She went down to the living room, and turned on the news. She sat down on the couch, and watched to see any news on a breakout from Arkham. Damian sat next to her. A story about Batman came on.

"You like watching the news?" He asked.

"I just watch it, to keep updated on Arkham." She said.

"Why don't we watch a movie?" He asked.

"Sure, pick something out." She said.

He picked something out, and set it up. He grabbed the remote and sat down on the couch next to her.

"What did you pick?" She asked.

"You'll see." He said.

My Bloody Valentine.

"You are too young to be watching this movie." She told him.

"I like this movie." He said.

They argued about what they would watch. About twenty minutes later, they finally decided on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part two. They settled down on the couch once more. About five minutes later, Alfred brought them a bowl of popcorn.

*X*

Bruce heard the TV, when he walked inside. He entered the living room, and smiled. Hope and Damian had fallen asleep, and Damian had his head on Hope's shoulder. Hope had her arm around his back, and her head was resting on the top of his head. Damian was different around Hope. Damian could be saved from being cold, and blood thirsty, like the assassins that had brought him up. Hope had an amazing talent of bringing out the best in people.

"Welcome home Master Bruce." Alfred said, walking up to him.

Bruce gave a nod.

"Harry Potter?" Bruce said.

Alfred smiled.

"Master Damian wanted to watch _My Bloody Valentine_ , but she put a stop to that. Harry Potter was all they could agree on. They fell asleep about twenty minutes ago." Alfred said.

"Damian seems to have taken to her." Bruce said.

"Seems so. It seems that she has charmed all of the men in the house." Alfred said.

Bruce looked at Alfred.

"Even you Alfred?" Bruce asked.

"Even me." Alfred said.

Bruce smiled.

"She is amazing." Bruce said.

"Yes, and if you don't give her a reason to stay, she'll leave." Alfred said.

"She'll leave anyways, when she remembers." Bruce said.

"You don't know that, sir." Alfred said.

"She thought that I'd abandoned her. She hated me, I could see it in her eyes. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop, and she gets those memories back. She will leave." Bruce said.

Alfred looked over to Hope.

"I have a little more faith in her than that, sir." Alfred said.

Bruce looked at Hope too. She was starting to stir. Hope's eyes opened. She ran her fingers through Damian's hair, and smiled. He looked so peaceful when he slept.

She felt the air stir behind her. She turned her head, on alert. Damian gave a groan. Bruce walked out of the shadows. Hope breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled. Bruce walked around the couch, and knelt down next to her.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey." Bruce said.

"How long have you been home?" She asked.

"Not long. Let's get you guys to bed." Bruce said.

"Are you bringing him up, or do you want me to?" She asked.

He cupped her face, and pressed his lips to hers.

"I'll bring him up to bed, why don't you go get ready for bed. I'll be right in." He said.

She smiled.

"Okay." She said.

She kissed him again.

"I'll see you, when you get up there." She said.

Bruce picked Damian up, and headed upstairs with him. Hope stood, and stretched. She turned the TV, and movie off, then headed upstairs.

She changed into her black nightie. She dropped her clothes into the basket, then looked out the window. Everything looked quiet.

A moment later, he wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into him. He moved her hair off of her shoulder, and kissed her neck. She turned, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She smiled up at him.

"It feels like forever since I've seen you." She said.

He kissed her again. He picked her up, and carried her over to the bed.

*X*

Every day that Hope worked, Damian would sneak out, and visit Hope. Dick was slowly starting to get used to Damian showing up. Damian enjoyed pushing Dick's buttons. One night, Damian was late. Dick made a point to pick on her.

"Your boyfriend is late." Dick said.

She rolled her eyes.

"Damian might be busy, he doesn't always have to stop in to see me. He might just be running late." She said.

"How does Bruce like all the attention Damian is giving you?" Dick asked.

"Oh please. You make it sound like it's something it's not. Damian just gets bored at the manor all the time. That's all." She said.

"Right." Dick said.

She rolled her eyes again.

"Is everything set for the show tonight?" She asked.

"Yes." Dick said, as they headed for the big tent.

People were milling around, waiting for the show to begin. They quickly made one last round, to make sure everything was ready for the show.

Dick had returned to his office, to grab some paperwork, while Hope made one last trip to the stables.

As she left the stables, her eyes caught a figure standing in the distance. She felt her heart speed up. What was he doing here? She walked to him.

"What are you doing here, Jason?" She asked.

"I've missed my unicorn." He told her.

"I think Batman was perfectly clear, when he told you to stay away from me. Do you like pain, because that's exactly where you're headed, if you continue." She told him.

Suddenly, the stables exploded. The blast blew them off their feet. She hit a tree, and fell to the ground. What the hell was going on?! She groaned in pain, as she tried to sit up. She had to take it slow.

Someone suddenly grabbed her arm. He helped her get to her feet. She frowned, when she realised it was Jason.

"What the hell just happened Jason? Did you do this?" She demanded.

"Not me, but I couldn't let you get hurt." He told her.

"You knew about this? How could you do this?! I can't believe you! I need to find Dick." She said.

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"You can't, you'll get hurt." He said.

"Are you serious right now? Dick and the others could be hurt!" She yelled at him.

"Dick will be fine, Bruce taught him well." He told her.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What does _that_ mean?" She asked.

He pulled the red mask off, and pulled her closer to him.

"Hope, _think_ about it! Just try to remember that night." He told her.

Her eyes searched his.

"Is that what this is about?" She asked.

He wanted out Bruce again.

"You have to know." He told her.

"You need to stop, Jason. Nothing will change my mind, you need to accept that. You need to move on, please." She said.

"I can't." He whispered.

He pressed his lips to hers. She tried pushing him away, but he pinned her against the tree.

"Let me go, Jason, please. It didn't end well for you, last time." She said.

 _"He's not here, this time." Jason said._

"No, but _I_ am." A voice said.

Suddenly, Jason was gone. A red and yellow blur, speared him.

"She told you to let her go. You should have listened to her."

Hope fell to the ground, and watched a young male pummel Jason. They rolled around, both trying to get the upper hand. It looked like the one in red and yellow, was a kid, and he was pounding on Jason. Jason wasn't pulling his punches either. Hope's heart sped up. Jason managed to throw the kid off of him.

"So, this is who he got to replace me, a snot nosed assassin, brat! Cute. Maybe the old man is starting to grow _soft_." Jason sneered.

Hope took a look at the kid standing in front of Jason. Is this how Bruce was channeling Damian's emotions?

He pounced on Jason. Jason had been ready for him though. Jason pinned Robin down and punched him. Hope got to her feet, and stumbled over to them.

"Jason stop!" She told him.

He didn't hear her. She got closer to them.

"Jason! Stop! He's just a kid!" She yelled.

He still didn't listen to her. She grabbed his arm, stopping his fist in mid air. She pulled Jason off of Robin, and pushed him away. Jason went for Robin again, but Hope stood in his way.

"Move, Hope." Jason said.

"No. Jason, he's just a child. Leave him alone." She told him.

"Stay out of this Hope, it has nothing to do with you." He said.

"Yes, it does. I'm not going to let you hurt him." She said.

He tried getting past her, but she stopped him. She shoved him farther from Robin.

"Hope, I'm not playing. Get out of my way." Jason said.

"No." She said.

"This isn't a game, Hope." He told her, grabbing her arms.

He pushed her away from him. Her foot caught on a root, and she fell. Jason went after Robin again.

"Jason, No!" She screamed.

"I'm going to make him pay for taking her away from me! He doesn't deserve her, and she is too blinded by him, to see the truth!" Jason yelled at Robin.

"You can't handle rejection! She chose him over you, and you can't stand it! She chose the better man!" Robin snarled.

Jason let out a scream, and dove at Robin. They fought, as Hope got to her feet. She stumbled over to them. Robin was pounding on Jason once again. She got to them, and put her hand on Robin's shoulder.

"Stop, please." She said, falling to her knees.

Robin stopped, and she pulled him off of Jason. Jason wasn't moving very much. Hope was checking Robin over, to make sure he was okay.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine. Did he hurt you?" Robin asked.

"I wasn't the one Jason was hitting." She said.

"I can take it." Robin muttered.

She shook her head, and wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened at first, then wrapped his arms around her too.

"Robin, what happened?"

Hope turned, to find Batman standing there. She got back to her feet.

"He was holding her against her will." Robin said.

"Take him to Gordon." Batman said to Robin.

Robin gave a nod, tied Jason's hands behind his back, then brought him down to the police commisioner.

"What did he want?" Batman asked.

She wrapped her arms around herself.

"He wants me to leave Bruce. He keeps telling me that Bruce has a secret. He thought that doing this tonight, would bring his secret to light, but your sidekick stopped him before he could." She said.

She looked at him.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Batman asked.

She shook her head.

"It's the same as it always is, with Jason. He can't keep his hands to himself." She said.

"He won't be bothering you any longer." Batman said.

She nodded.

"I got out, before the explosion, but do you know what happened to Dick?" She asked.

"Dick is safe. He made it out in time." Batman said.

"Oh thank God." She said, her voice breaking.

Dick could have gotten hurt because of her. She felt tears fall from her eyes. She felt Batman's hand on her shoulder.

"Dick is fine, safe. You don't have to worry about him." Batman said.

"It's all my fault. None of this would have happened...if Jason wasn't trying to prove something to me!" She said.

"You can't blame yourself, for what Jason did." He told her.

"It's not just Jason. Joker could have killed Bruce at anytime, to get to me. I'm putting him at risk, just by being around him." She said.

"The Joker is locked up in Arkham." He said.

"For now, until he breaks out. then, he will come for me, and nothing, or no one, will stand in his way. He will kill them, then he will kill me." She said.

He put his hand to her cheek.

"I will never let him touch one hair on your hair on your head. I promise." He told her.

He pressed his lips to hers. She eagerly kissed him back. She was breathing heavy, when he pulled out of the kiss.

"I won't let him hurt you." He whispered to her.

She closed her eyes.

"You can't be around all the time." She said.

"Trust me, he won't get near you." He told her.

"I can't get away from him. At night, he's there, in my dreams. I don't know how many more times I can take him killing me." She said.

"He can't get to you. They're just dreams." He said

"After I'd been saved from Scarecrow, I fell into a coma, and flatlined. Joker had stabbed me, at my..." She stopped herself, before she said too much.

She pressed her hand to her mouth.

"What? Continue." He told her.

She shook her head.

"I can't tell you, not right now." She said.

"Hope, talk to me, what happened?" He asked.

"The Joker stabbed me, at my wedding to Bruce. I died in front of him. Ever since then, I've had dreams about Joker killing me." She said.

He pulled her into his arms and held her.

"That will never happen Hope. I will make sure he never gets out. You will be safe." He told her.

"I trust you. I just don't trust him." She said.

"Hope?!"

Hope turned, to see Diick hurrying towards them. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dick, thank God, you're okay!" She said.

She hugged him, when he got up to her.

"Get her home, quickly." Batman told Dick.

Dick gave a nod, and then Batman left.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I was far enough away from the blast. How are you?" He asked.

"I'm still standing, so I'm fine. I just want to go home, and relax, for the rest of the night." She said.

"Let's get you home then." Dick said.

He walked her to his car, they got in, and he headed for Wayne Manor. Dick drove quickly and it didn't take long for them to make it to the manor.

"Are you coming in?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"Not tonight. I need to get back. Until further notice, you're on vacation." He told her.

She nodded.

"Okay, let me know when you want me to return. Good night Dick." She said, kissing his cheek.

She got out, and headed inside. Everything was quiet.

"Bruce?! Damian?! Is anyone here?!" She called out.

"Miss Hope, you're home." Alfred said, walking up to her.

She smiled at him.

"Where is everyone? Damian never showed tonight, thankfully. I'm actually surprised Bruce didn't show up." She said.

"I heard about the explosion, how are you doing?: Alfred asked.

"I'm fine. So, where is Bruce." She asked.

"Master Bruce had to go into the office, and he took Master Damian with him. I'm sure they will be back soon." Alfred said.

She gave a nod.

"I'm going upstairs, to take a shower, then I'm heading to bed. It's been one hell of a day. Goodnight Alfred." She said.

She headed up the stairs. When she got to the bedroom, she dialed Bruce's number.

"Hope, is everything okay?" Bruce asked.

She smiled.

"I'm fine, Bruce. I was calling to let you know that I made it home safe." She said.

"Good. How are you doing?" Bruce asked.

"I'm fine, just a little tired. Do you know when you'll be home?" She asked.

There was a pause, and she closed her eyes.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Bruce told her.

She gave a nod.

"Okay. I'll see you when you get here. If I'm sleeping wake me up." She told him.

She heard Damian in the background. Bruce sighed.

"Damian, she's fine! Hope, I have to go. I'll see you when I get home." He said.

"Okay. Good night Bruce. Tell Damian I'll see him in the morning." She said, with a smile.

She ended the call, and took a shower. When she got out, she changed into her night clothes. A pair of shorts, and a tank top. She got into bed, and got comfortable. Soon, she was dozing off.

*X*

She started to wake up, as she felt a disturbance on the bed. There was a presence on the bed, laying next to her. She felt the person get closer. She was about to freak out, when she felt a hand on her cheek. She knew exactly who it was.

"I'm glad you're okay." Was his whisper.

She sighed, and mumbled.

"He'll never touch you again. I promise."

She lifted the corner of her mouth.

"Thank you Damian." She mumbled sleepily.

She wrapped her arm around him, and pulled him closer.

"Hey!" He said in surprise.

"Calm down, and go to sleep. It's late." She mumbled.

He exhaled loudly, but stayed where he was, quietly.

"Thank you." She said.

A moment later, someone else had entered the room.

"Damian! What are you doing?! I told you not to disturb her!" Bruce hissed.

"It's fine Bruce. He's not disturbing me." Hope said.

"I'm sorry he woke you." Bruce said.

She opened her eyes, and looked over at him.

"He didn't wake me up." She said.

He walked over to the bed, and looked at Damian.

"Damian, I need to speak with Hope. Why don't you go get ready for bed." Bruce said.

"Good night Damian, I'll see you in the morning." Hope said.

Damian gave a nod. He got out of bed, and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Hope turned over to face Bruce. He sat down on the bed.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine. Jason was arrested. I also met Robin. He saved me from Jason. Jason won't give up, and tonight he went too far. Robin caught him, and turned him over to Comissioner Gordon." She said, sitting up.

He gave a nod.

"You still look worried. What's wrong?" He asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I don't think Jason was acting alone. I asked him if he had set the bomb. He said, _'not me'_. I think someone had him plant the bomb. She said.

"Did he say who he was working with?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"No. Bruce, you know him better than I do, do you think he'd work with the Joker?" She asked.

He cupped her face with his hands.

"No. Jason wouldn't. Jason wants Joker dead, he'd never work with him. Joker can't get to you from where he is. I won't let him near you, I promise." He told her.

She smiled.

"Thank you Bruce." She whispered.

He leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers.

"Are you coming to bed, or do you have more work to do?" She asked.

He smiled.

"Work can wait until tomorrow." He said.

She sat up on her knees, and kissed him again.

X*X*X


	13. Chapter 13

Hope's heart was beating faster than normal, as she walked through the corridor at Arkham Asylum. She'd called in a favor, so she could have a meeting. She needed answers.

She followed a guard to a room, ignoring everything going on around her. The guard stopped at the door.

"I want to speak with him alone." She said.

"That is not advised."

"I'll be fine, he won't hurt me." She said.

"I'll be right outside, if you need me."

She gave a nod.

The guard unlocked the door, and opened it. She slipped in. The guard shut and locked the door behind her.

"Well, this is quite the surprise sweetheart. I was not expecting _you_."

"Jason."

Jason was sitting at the table, grinning. She sat down, across from him.

"Why _are_ you here?" He asked.

"I want answers." She said.

"You'll have to be a little more specific that that." He said.

"The bomb." She said.

"What about it?" He asked.

"Stop playing games Jason, you know what I'm talking about. Did you set the bomb?" She asked.

"No. I was there to make sure nothing happened to you." He said.

"Who set it? Who are you working with?" She asked.

"I don't know who set the bomb." He said.

"You know something, you were there." She said.

"I never got his name, his real name, at least. He told me to make sure you weren't in the way of the blast." He said.

"Why the circus?" She asked.

"He's erradicating the lies and tumors in your life." He said.

She frowned.

"Are you working with the Joker?" She asked.

"I'd kill him before I ever work with _him_. Why would you ever think that? Never." He told her.

"What name did he give you?" She asked.

"Ras Al Guhl."

"He's dead."

"That's how I know he didn't give me his real name."

"And yet, you decided to work with him." She said.

"I got to see you again, talk to you, touch you." He said.

She exhaled loudly.

"Jason, I can't give you what you want. I'm not going to leave Bruce, just because you don't want me with him." She said.

"You deserve better." He said.

"And you think you're better? Jason, you're locked up!" She said.

"For now." He said.

She shook her head.

"Now you sound like the Joker." She said.

He frowned.

"Don't say that. I'd never hurt you. I'm nothing like him." He said.

She stood.

"I should go. I've got my answers I came for. Good bye Jason." She said.

"What? No! You just got here!" He said.

She stopped when she got to the door.

"Jason, I'm sorry. I wish that I could give you what you want, but I can't." She said.

She didn't get a response. She exhaled loudly. She turned to look at Jason again, and gasped. Jason was standing very close to her. He put his hand on her cheek.

"If only you could remember. This would all be different." He said.

"You don't know that. I wouldn't choose anything different." She said.

"You did." He said.

"I was also drugged. I was not _me_." She said.

"You were the real _you_ , you were free, and saw Bruce for who he _really_ is." He told her.

"I know who Bruce is, Jason. I don't care about anything that he hasn't told me yet. He will, when he's ready, and I'm not going to push him. I'm sorry Jason, but I'm not leaving Bruce." She said.

"Knowing and remembering are two different things though, sweetheart. You don't remember the most important thing about him." He said.

She shook her head.

"Jason, I have to leave. Please do not make this harder than it has to be." She said.

"I'm not giving up on us Princess. Until then, I can be patient. I _will_ see you again." He told her.

He took her hand in his, and brought it up to his lips. He kissed her hand. He took a step away from her, and she knocked on the door. It was unlocked, and opened. Hope left the room.

She followed the guard. She ignored everything around her, and they made it to the exit, fairly quick. She breathed a sigh of relief, when she walked outside. She hurried to her car.

She headed back to the manor. Bruce had told her that Ras was dead, and that was why Damian was with them, to keep him safe, from Ras' killer. She needed too speak with Bruce. She dialed his number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, can you talk?" She asked.

"What did you need?" He asked.

"Are you at the tower still?" She asked.

"Yes. What's wrong Hope?" He asked.

"I need to talk to you, it's important. I went to speak with Jason. I wanted answers." She said.

"What did he say to you Hope?" He asked.

"I'm heading to you, I'll tell you when I get there." She said.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She smiled. He was worried Jason had told her the truth.

"I'm fine, Bruce. I'll be there soon." She said.

"Okay." He said.

She ended the call, and hurried to Wayne Tower.

In fifteen minutes, she parked her car, and hurried inside. She got in the elevator, and headed up to Bruce's office.

"Go on in, he's expecting you." The receptionist told her.

Hope gave a nod, and walked into Bruce's office, shutting the door behind her. Bruce was standing at the window, looking out at Gotham. She smiled, and walked towards him.

She got to the window, and stood next to him. The view was breathtaking.

"Why did you visit him?" Bruce asked.

"I needed answers about the bomb." She said.

Bruce looked at her. He put a hand on her back, and led her away from the window.

"What happened?" He asked.

"He said that the man's name is Ras Al Guhl." She said.

He studied her for a moment.

"Ras is dead." He said.

"I know, but that's the name he gave Jason. He sent Jason, to make sure I was safe. He blew up the circus, to take the ' _lies and tumors out of my life_ '. Someone is targeting me, and it's not Joker, or Jason. Jason was just there to make sure that I didn't get hurt." She said.

Bruce pulled her into his arms.

"I'll find out what I can. No one will hurt you, I promise." He said.

"I know." She said.

X*X*X

Bruce told her to let him deal with Jason's information, so she did. At least she tried. It was always in the back of her mind, gnawing at her. She wondered what Jason had meant, when he told her about ' _erradicating the lies and tumors in her life_ '? Jason had always told her that Bruce had lies, and secrets, but he didn't realise that she already knew his 'secret'. Shouldn't Ras have gone after Bruce? Why Dick? Was Dick keeping secrets from her? What would he keep from her, to warrant a bomb? It didn't make sense, and made her head hurt.

About two weeks after she saw Jason, there was a distraction, and not a good one. Someone was abducting women. Blonde women. In that two week span, two women had been kidnapped. Bruce had gone into protective mode, making sure someone was with her at all times.

When the third blonde woman went missing, Damian suggested that she dye her hair darker. Bruce told him that it wasn't that funny. Damian had given a shrug, and said that he was only trying to help.

She'd almost forgotten about Ras, with the missing women. That is, until one evening. Hope had dozed off, watching the news.

Something had woken her up. She sat up, and rubbed her hand over her face. The news anchor's voice caught her attention.

"Breaking news, we just got word about an explosion in downtown Gotham. At this time we don't know much, except for the building is Wayne Tower, and that a board meeting was going on at the time of the explosion. As the the information becomes available, we will report it."

Hope stood, as it went from the anchor, to video of Wayne Tower, with a hole in the side of the building, on fire, and smoking.

"Alfred!" She called, pulling out her cell phone.

She dialed Bruce's number.

"Miss?" Alfred said.

She pointed to the TV, as she got Bruce's voicemail.

"Oh Dear." Alfred said.

"Bruce, I just saw the news, please call me back, as soon as you get this. Let me know you're okay." She said.

She ended the call, and turned to Alfred.

"He didn't answer. They said there was a board meeting, when the bomb went off. Do you think that Ras killed Bruce?" She asked.

"Whoever that is, is not Ras Al Guhl. I saw him die. That is an imposter. If there was any way Father could escape, he would. He's great at surviving." Damian said, walking up to her.

"I know Damian. It depends on where he was, when the bomb went off. Alfred, I need to make a trip to Arkham." Hope said.

"Is that a good idea, Miss?" Alfred asked.

"I am going, with, or without you." She said.

Alfred glanced at Damian, then looked at Hope again. He sighed.

"Someone must look after Master Damian." Alfred said.

"I can take care of myself!" Damian snapped.

Hope smiled.

"Of course you can. However, your father would want Alfred to protect you, his son. I'm only going to Arkham, then I'll be right back here. I'll be fine." Hope said.

"I think Father would prefer Pennyworth protecting _you_." Damian told her.

Hope knelt down in front of him, and hugged him. He tensed up, and she whispered to him.

"I thought that was _your_ job."

She let him go, and got to her feet.

"I'll be back soon. Damian, do not drive Alfred crazy. If your father shows up, please call me." She said.

Damian gave a nod.

"Thank you." Hope said.

She left shortly after that. She headed for Arkham once more. She dialed a number.

" _ **Hello?**_ "

"I need to speak with him again." She said.

" _ **I wouldn't advise that, Hope.**_ "

"Bruce isn't answering, and he was at Wayne Tower, when a bomb went off. _He_ has information that can help us capture the man that did this. After how much money Mr. Wayne has donated to your facility, I would think that _you_ would be invested in Mr. Wayne's survival." She said.

There was a pause.

" _ **I'll set up a meeting for you.**_ "

"I'm on my way now. Thank you." She said.

She ended the call. She drove quickly to Arkham Asylum.

*X*

She was led to the interview room, by the same guard that brought her last time.

"I'll be right outside, if you need anything."

"Thank you." She said.

She took a deep breath, then entered the room.

"Did you miss me sweetheart?" Jason asked.

"Bruce was attacked." She said.

"Right to the point, I see. Bruce can take care of himself." Jason said.

"It was a bomb. It went off during a _board meeting_! Innocent people died! Bruce could be dead!" She told him.

He studied her for a moment.

" _He_ said that he would erradicate the lies from your life. Bruce lies to you. Since you won't do anything about it, I guess _he's_ decided to do it for you." Jason told her.

"Have you ever lied to me, Jason?" She asked.

"No, never, and I never will." He told her.

"Then tell me the truth now." She said.

"What do you want to know?" He asked.

"What do you know about _him_? Why is he singling me out? How did he know I existed? Why me?" She asked, walking over to him.

He stood, facing her.

"He introduced himself as Ras Al Guhl. He wanted my help. He'd been watching you, and knew of my feelings for you. The way he spoke about you, I knew that he was just as taken with you, as I was. He knew, Like I know, that you deserve better. He wanted to help you, open your eyes. He never told me why he picked you, but it's probably the same reason _I_ chose you. Have you wondered why I call you my unicorn?" He asked.

He was close to her. His hands were free from the cuffs, and running his fingers through her hair.

"Where is _he_?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"I don't know." He said.

"Jason." She said.

"I don't know, he always found me." He told her.

"Why Dick? That's insinuating that he too has a secret." She said.

He smirked. He leaned in, and put his lips to her ears.

"It's the same one as Bruce's." He whispered.

He pulled away, and watched her process what he'd said.

The same one as Bruce? What did _that_ mean? She knew Bruce's, he was Batman. Dick wasn't Batman, or Robin. Nightwing. Dick was Nightwing. He eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What?" She asked.

He smiled.

"When you remember Bruce's secret, it will make sense. How is your memory?" He asked.

"My memory is fine." She said.

"You know what I mean." He said.

"Jason, it's his secret to tell, when he wants me to know, then he will tell me. If I do, or don't, it doesn't matter, because it won't change anything. Maybe things would have been different, if I had met _you_ first. I'm sorry, Jason." She told him.

"All I need is a time machine, I guess." He said.

She shook her head. Her phone started ringing. She took a step away from Jason, and answered her phone.

"Hello?" She said.

" _ **Where are you?**_ "

"Bruce?! Oh thank God! Are you okay?!" She asked.

She heard him grunt.

" _ **I'm fine. Where are you?**_ " He asked.

He was definitely _not_ fine. He sounded anything but. She wanted to question him, but decided that it could wait until later.

"I'm at Arkham, but I'm about to head home." She said.

" _ **Is Damian with you?**_ " Bruce asked.

"No, Alfred stayed at the manor to keep an eye on him. Why?" She asked, getting worried.

" _ **I'll find him. Get home quickly, and stay there.**_ " He told her.

"Of course. I'll see you shortly." She said.

She ended the call, and turned to face Jason again. He was standing close to her.

"Leaving so soon, sweetheart?" Jason asked.

"I have to go." She said.

"Bruce beckons, and you go running." Jason said.

"Stop it Jason. I have to go. Good bye." She said.

He took her hand in his, and brought it up to his lips.

"Until I see you again." Jason said.

She knocked on the door, and the guard let her out. She hurried to the exit. She breathed a sigh of relief, when she made it outside.

She was halfway to her car, when she saw Robin standing next to it. He must have snuck out, to follow her. At least he was safe.

"Waiting for me?" She asked, when she got up to him.

"Why did you come here?" Robin asked.

"I was getting information about the man setting the bombs. I thought an inmate helping him, would be able to help." She said.

"Did he?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"Nothing that we could use to find the man." She said.

"You should be careful, there's a mad man out there, kidnapping blonde women." He toldher.

She gave a nod.

"That's why I'm heading home right now." She said.

"I will accompany you to make sure you are safe." He told her.

"That probably would be for the best." She said.

They got into the car, and headed for the manor.

"So, did Batman send you to keep an eye on me?" She asked.

"Batman does not know that I am here. He was wrapped up in business. I was on patrol, and saw you enter." He said smoothly.

She smiled.

"It's nice to have the company." She told him.

"Have you ever had children?" He asked.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Excuse me?!" She said.

"I'm just making conversation." He said.

She shook her head.

"No. No kids." She said.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Why are you so curious?" She asked.

"'Why don't you want to answer the question?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes.

"I've never found anyone...well, worthy, of procreating with. Ideally, I would _like_ to be married before I even _think_ about having a child." She said.

"What about Bruce Wayne?" He asked.

"What about him?" She asked.

"Would you have a child with him? Is _he_ worthy?" He asked.

Memories of her dreams jumped to the front of her mind. Her wedding to Bruce. She smiled.

"I cannot believe I'm discussing this with you, of all people." She said.

"Answer the question." He said.

She exhaled loudly.

"Yes." She said.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes." She repeated.

She shook her head.

"Is that surprising?" She asked.

He studied her for a moment.

"Do you love him?" He asked.

"Yes, I do." She said.

He gave a nod.

"Did you like working at the circus?" He asked.

"It was busy work, but yes, I did enjoy it." She said.

"Even after your work at Arkham?" He asked.

"I needed a distraction, because of Arkham." She said quietly.

"Joker." He said.

She flinched at the name.

"He latched on to me, and _refuses_ to let me go." She said.

"He is locked up." He said.

"For now. He's managed to break out before. It's only a matter of time before he does again. When that day comes, no one close to me will be safe. He'll come for me, and _anyone_ standing in his way, he will kill them, to get to me. Then, he'll kill me." She said.

He put his hand on her arm. She glanced at him.

"That will never happen." He told her.

She shook her head.

"You need to be careful. _He_ doesn't care who you are, he will kill you. Please be smart." She told him.

"He won't get to you." He said.

"I hope you're right." She said.

She pulled into the driveway of Wayne Manor. She pulled up to the steps. She turned the car off, and got out. Robin got out as well.

"I will do a perimeter check, then I must go." He said.

"Thank you." She said.

She hurried inside, and shut the door behind her. She didn't see anyone. She went upstairs, to her bedroom. Empty. Bruce must not be back yet. She shut the door, and started shedding clothes. She took her socks and shoes off. She stripped down to her bra and panties. She went to the bathroom, and got into the shower.

The hot water felt good. She quickly washed her hair, then rested her head on her arms, as the water ran down her back.

She suddenly felt hands on her back. She turned around.

"Bruce! Oh thank God!" She said.

He had bruises, and abraisions, but he was still in one piece. She wrapped her arms around him. He gave a small grunt.

"Sorry." She sai, loosening her grip.

"It's fine. Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm not the one that was blown up." She said.

"I didn't get _blown up_. I managed to dodge the blast. I used the table as a shield of sorts. Did you get answers from Jason?" Bruce asked.

She shook her head.

"No, the man is calling himself Ras, and he found Jason, when he needed him. Jason doesn't know where to find him." She said.

"He'll mess up, and he'll be caught." Bruce said.

She gave a nod.

He leaned in, and kissed her. He pressed her against the wall. She wrapped her legs around him. He shut the water off, then, brought her out to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed.

*X*

"I want you to get some sleep." Bruce told her.

He pulled his pants on.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

He grabbed his shirt, and walked over to her.

"I have to go back to work. I have damage control to do. I just needed to see you first. I'll be back as soon as I can." He told her.

She gave a nod.

"Okay. Be careful, please." She told him.

"I will. Get some sleep." He told her.

She put her night shirt on, and gave a nod.

"I'll try." She said.

"Good." He said, kissing her.

He put his shirt on, then left. She put her shorts on, her tank top on, and got comfortable. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

X*X*X


	14. Chapter 14

Hope wanted to believe everything would be fine. She did. She had a feeling that something bad was going to happen, though.

A fourth blonde woman was taken. By the weekend, blond number 5 and 6 had been taken as well. A growing dread, filled her veins.

One day, she went running. That is, until everything went dark. She had been hit from behind.

*X*

Her head was throbbing, as she woke up. She groaned. She put a hand to the back of her head, and hissed, in pain. That's when she noticed the shackle on her wrist. She held up her other hand, but it was free. She looked around. She was in a cage. She noticed that there were multiple cages, and that they were bloody. In one cage, therre was the most recent abducted blonde. She looked worse for wear. Actually, she almost looked dead.

They were in an abandoned warehouse. This was bad. No one knew that she was gone. They wouldn't know where to look for her. She needed to figure out a plan.

*X*

A man appeared, after hours of nothing. He took the woman out of her cage. The woman wasn't moving. He carried her away.

That was the last she saw him for days. She wasn't fully alone. She'd quickly noticed the camera that had been set up, and pointed at her.

She couldn't remember when the last time she ate was. She felt herself becoming weaker.

Why was she here?

He finally came to see her one day. He unlocked her cage, and set down a tray. It had some food, and water on it. He set it down, then left, locking the cage up again. Once again, he was gone.

She pulled herself closer, and started eating. She drank the water.

She quickly finished the food, then curled up on the cot. She fell asleep.

*X*

She woke, to being carried. She had no energy, or strength to do anything. On top of that, she felt groggy, and sluggish. The man laid her on a table. He tied her hands and feet to the table. She groaned. The man gave a laugh.

"Let's get started, shall we? You'll be my masterpiece. No other will compare to you, when I'm finished with you." He told her.

She cried out, when he made the first incision.

*X*

When she woke once more, she was back in her cage. She cried out in pain, when she tried to move. Her shirt was covered in blood. She cried out in pain, when she moved her shirt. Her stomach was sliced and bleeding. She cried once more, and tried laying as still as possible.

She began dozing in and out, and very quickly lost track of time. She was woken up by a fight. She couldn't see what was happening. She could hear a scuffle, but it didn't last long, then there was silence. A moment later, someone approached the cage. To her surprise, it was not the man that had tortured her. It was someone, a man, that was dressed as the Dark Archer. Someone that had made an appearance, while she had been with Thea, and Oliver. This was getting worse, quickly. He unlocked the door, and walked over to her. He knelt down next to her, and put two fingers to her neck. He gathered her in his arms. She cried out in pain. He carried her out of the cage.

The man that had kidnapped her, was dead, with a black arrow in both of his eyes. The Dark Archer carrried her outside. The bright lights burned her eyes. She buried her face into his shoulder, to protect her eyes.

He got into a vehicle, and kept her with him. She kept her with him. She kept her face buried in his shoulder. He moved, taking his cowel off.

"To the jet."

She knew that voice. She turned her face, to look at him.

"Malcolm Merlin?!" She gasped.

He looked down at her, and smiled.

"Hello Hope. It's been a while. I go by Ras Al Guhl now. We have _much_ to catch up on." He told her.

"This can't be happening. I need Bruce. Take me to Bruce.  
She told him.

"I can't do that Hope." He said.

He injected something into her, and she fell asleep.

*X*

Her eyes popped open, and she found herself in green water. She started thrashing, trying to get her bearings, and get to the surface.

A pair of hands grabbed her, and pulled her to the surface. When her head broke through it, she gasped for fresh air. She began coughing. The person that had grabbed her, was Malcolm. Her head started spinning, as Malcolm got closer. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Malcolm caught her, before she fell back into the water.

*X*

Hope gasped, as she sat up in bed. Her heart quickend as she looked around. She was in a bed, but she didn't recognise it. She didn't know where she was.

Memories started coming back to her. She moved her shirt, and rubbed her hand on her abdomen. Everything was gone. How? When? Malcolm. He was the Dark Archer, and he had rescued her from the psychopath. How had he gotten rid of the wounds though?

There was a knock at the door. She quickly put her shirt back down. She pulled the covers up, to her chin, as the door opened. Malcolm walked in, carrying a tray of food.

"Good morning Hope. Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Malcolm, what's going on?" She asked.

He smiled, as he walked over to her. He set the tray on her lap.

"Eat." He told her.

He pulled a chair closer to the bed, and sat facing her. She began eating.

"I need to call Bruce. I need to let him know that I'm okay." She said.

"You can't do that. I'm sorry." He said.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Because you will be my wife, and won't be going back there. You will have anything you'll ever need, here." He told her.

"No. I'm not marrying you. I want to go home now." She said.

"That's not going to happen Hope. We are on Nanda Parbat. It is a mountain. You wouldn't survive if you tried to escape. You are staying here. You will be my bride." He told her.

"You blew up the circus, and Wayne Tower. You call yourself Ras, but the real Ras is dead." She said.

"Yes, he is. I took over for him, after he died. It was supposed to be Oliver, but Oliver didn't want it, so I took over, and became Ras Al Guhl, heir to the demon throne." He told her.

She shook her head.

"Oliver was going to take over?" She asked.

"Ras had chose Oliver to be his sucessor. Ras was killed, and Oliver stepped down, leaving me to take it." He said.

"Why Oliver?" She asked.

"My dear, Oliver is the Arrow." He told her.

"What?!" She said.

"It's true Hope." He told her.

What the hell?! Bruce, Dick, Jason, Damian, Malcolm, and now Oliver?! Was the world going crazy, or was she?

"I know it's a lot to take in. You should rest, once you're finished eating." He told her.

She pushed the tray away from her.

"I've lost my appetite." She said.

Malcolm took the tray away. She turned her back to him, and laid down. She closed her eyes, so she didn't have to look at him. She heard the door open, shut, and lock. Tears filled her eyes. What the hell was she going to do now?

She fell asleep. She felt exhausted, mentally.

X*X*X

A week. She'd been there a week. She refused to marry Malcolm. She never left her room, and barely ate. Even though she knew the food was safe, she refused to eat it. She wanted to go home. To keep up her strength, she would just pick at it, eating just a little each time. Malcolm had started leaving the door to her room unlocked. She still didn't leave the room. She wanted nothing to do with this place.

She had started pacing, to pass the time. She stopped, and sniffed herself. She grimmaced. She needed a bath. She might not want to be there, but she shouldn't neglect her hygene. She exhaled loudly, and headed for the bathroom.

She quickly washed, and got out. She dried off, then wrapped the towel around her. She frowned. She couldn't put her dirty clothes back on. She would have to wear something from the closet.

She searched the closet, and finally found something simple. It was floor length. It had full sleeves, was low cut, and black silk.

She dressed, then brushed out her hair. She was just finishing up, when the bedroom door flew open. She exited the bathroom. Malcolm was slightly out of breath, and looked worried.

"What happened?" She asked.

"You're not safe." He told her.

"What? Why?" She asked.

"You need to come with me, now." He told her.

He grabbed her hand, and pulled her out of the bedroom. He dragged her down a hallway. He stopped at the intersection. They looked to their right. Two soldiers were struck with arrows. The men went down. Malcolm pulled her after him.

"What's going on? Who is after me?" She asked.

They came to a door. Malcolm opened it, and they went inside. He pulled her to the otherside of the room. It looked like a Dojo of sorts.

"Malcolm!" She yelled.

He was about to speak, when the doors exploded. Malcolm grabbed her, pulling her in front of him, her back resting on his chest. Malcolm's hand rested on her neck.

The dust settled, and Hope gasped in surprise. Batman, Robin, Arrow and Flash, were standing there.

"Oh thank God." She said.

Malcolm pulled her back.

"Shut up!" Malcolm hissed.

"Malcolm Merlin, let her go!" Arrow said.

"You willl not take her!" Malcolm yelled.

"I can get her." Flash said.

Malcolm's free hand pulled out a knife, and put it to her neck, as well.

"One move, and no one gets her alive." Malcolm said.

Hope's eyes locked onto Batman's. She needed to do something, or this would end badly. She gave a smile. Robin took a step towards them. Malcolm pressed the knife into her neck.

"I'd stay where I was, if I were you, kid." Malcolm said.

"You're pretending to be my grandfather!" Robin said.

"Robin!" Batman yelled.

"I'm not _pretending_ , I am Ras Al Guhl. I took his place." Malcolm said.

"You're an imposter!" Robin yelled.

"What's that make the four of you? I know who you are, but does she? Well, she knows one of you, right Oliver?" Malcolm said.

Arrow's grip on his bow tightened, as Flash looked at him.

"Oh, and I know that Jason was just chomping at the bit to tell her who Batman is. I wonder if he let it slip, one of the times that she went to visit him at Arkham. So, Hope, we're all waiting with bated breath, do you know who he is?" Malcolm asked.

Her eyes never left Batman's.

"No, and I don't care either." She said.

"They've been lying to you, Hope. Don't you want the truth?" Malcolm told her.

"No." She said.

She gave Batman a small smile, took a deep breath, then slammed the back of her head into his face. Malcolm yelled in surprise, and pain. She spun around, and kicked him in the groin. Malcolm dropped.

She stumbled away from him, with her hand to the back of her head. She'd hit him harder than expected. In a blink, Flash was handcuffing Malcolm. Arrow had arrows trained on Malcolm.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked, walking up to her.

"Yes. I am." She said.

She knelt down, and hugged him.

"This is unneccessary." Robin said.

She laughed, then stood. She looked at Batman.

"Robin, help Arrow and Flash get Malcolm outside." Batman said.

Robin, Arrow, and Flash dragged Malcolm out of the room. Batman walked up to Hope. Hope threw her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her.

"I wasn't sure if you'd be able to find me. Malcolm wouldn't let me contact anyone." She said.

"I will always find you." He told her.

"Thank you." She whispered.

She leaned up, and pressed her lips to his.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked.

She nodded.

"My head hurts a little, but I'm fine." She said.

"We should go." He said.

She gave another nod.

"They're waiting for us." She said.

Batman leaned down, and kissed her again.

He pulled out of the kiss, and took her hand in his. He led her outside. Malcolm had been right, they were on a mountain. Yards away was a huge black jet.

They headed for the jet, and boarded. She sat down, next to Arrow. Robin was in front, next to Batman. Flash was in back, with Malcolm, who was knocked out.

Arrow helped her get secured in the seat.

"Thanks." She said quietly.

He gave her a smile.

Batman took off, and headed back home. Hope closed her eyes, to prevent question, for as long as possible. She just wanted to be alone for the moment.

Even when they landed, she didn't open her eyes. She felt someone unbuckle her, then pick her up, and bring her outside. She was set down in a seat. The door was shut. Moments later, she heard a door open, and shut again. The vehicle started, and took off.

"You can open your eyes now."

"I'm fine like this, thanks though." She said.

She felt him take her hand in his.

"Hope, open your eyes. Batman told her again.

She frowned, and sighed. She opened her eyes, and her eyes found his in a second.

"What happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now. I just want to go home. Please take me home." She said.

He squeezed her hand.

"Okay." He said.

She closed her eyes again. She felt him tuck her hair behind her ear.

Moments later, he pulled to a stop. She heard him get out, and shut the door. Moments later, her door opened. He unbuckled her, and lifted her out of the vehicle. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He carried her inside Wayne Manor, up the stairs, and into her bedroom. He laid her down on the bed, but he hovered over her. She opened her eyes, finally.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" He asked her.

She put her hand to his cheek.

"I need Bruce right now." She whispered.

A tear slid down her cheek. He brushed it away.

"Okay, I'll go find him." He said.

"Thank you." She whispered.

He pressed his lips to hers. A moment later, he pulled away, and left the room. She pulled the covers back, and got under them.

She grabbed Bruce's pillow, and hugged it to her. She held it tightly. It smelled like him. She missed his scent. It brought a smile to her face.

About thirty minutes later, she heard the door open again. She felt the bed dip down, on Bruce's side. She opened her eyes. He smiled at her.

"You're here." She gasped.

She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I didn't think I'd see you again." She said.

He held her tight.

"I'm just glad that you made it back to me." He whispered to her.

"Me too." She said.

He pulled her away enough, so he could look at her. He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Hope, what happened to you?" Bruce asked.

She closed her eyes, and shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about that right now." She whispered.

"Okay." He said.

He pressed his lips to hers.

"When you're ready to talk, let me know. You, better than anyone, knows that it's not good to keep things inside." He told her.

She nodded.

"Just hold me right now." She said.

"Of course." He said.

He pulled her close, wrapping his arms securely around her.

"Try to sleep." He told her.

She closed her eyes. She felt him start running his fingers through her hair. She smiled. She missed this. She'd missed him. For a moment, she thought she'd never see him again. She held on to Bruce tighter.

"Relax." He told her.

"I'm trying." She mumbled.

He kissed the top of her head.

"I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. Nothing will happen to you. I promise." He told her.

She gave a nod.

As she started relaxing, exhaustion swept over her. She slowly slipped into a restless sleep.

*X*

 _She was on a table, strapped down. She struggled, but it was no use, her restraints were secure. She couldn't escape._

 _She felt the tears fall from her eyes. The man was suddenly next to her, with his scalpel in his hand. He laughed, but it wasn't his laugh. It was someone's laugh that she knew all to well. Another being that haunted her dreams._

 _"You will be my masterpiece, Doll face. My crowning achievement." He told her._

 _Dollface. No one but the Joker called her that._

 _"Let's begin." He said._

 _He began slicing her open. She cried out. She cried for Bruce to help her._

 _"You took my heart, and ripped it out of my chest Doll face. It's only fair I return the favor."_

 _It wasn't the man's voice anymore. He laughed, Joker's laugh. She looked over. It was Joker, and he was holding her heart up, for her to see. She opened her mouth, to scream, but nothing came out._

Hope sat up, gasping for air. She jumped, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"It's just me, are you okay?" Bruce asked.

She gave a nod.

"I'm home, so I'm fine." She said.

He moved the hair out of her face.

"How are you doing?" He asked.

She exhaled loudly.

"Glad to be home." She said, with a smile.

"We're all happy to have you back. Damian was very worried about you." Bruce said.

"He's sweet." She said.

"Only to you." Bruce said.

She laughed, and shook her head.

The smile slid off of her face, when he got out of bed.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

He grabbed his tank top, and walked over to her. He put the tank top on, and sat down nex to her. He put his hand on hers.

"I'm going to go get something for you to eat. I'll be back, I promise. I'm sure you'd like to change anyways." He said.

She was still in the dress she'd put on, at the mountain. She gave a nod.

"Absolutely." She said.

He smiled.

"I'll be right back." He said, kissing her.

He left, shutting the door behind him. She got out of the bed, and went over to the closet. She stripped out of the dress. She threw it in the corner. She put on a pair of cloth shorts, and black tank top. She left the closet, and went back to the bed. She laid down. She grabbed Bruce's pillow, and hugged it. It soothed her just holding it.

A moment later, the door opened, and Damian walked in. She smiled.

"Oh good, you can keep me company." She said.

Damian walked over to the bed. She sat up, as he got to her. She wrapped her arms around him.

"You do this a lot." Damian said, putting his hands on her back.

She pulled out of the hug.

"Please forgive me, I just missed you." She said, with a smile.

Damian sat next to her.

"Father was very upset when you were taken. When he had heard the warehouse was found, he thought you were found, but the man was dead, shot by arrows. You weren't there. Father was not pleased. You're back now though. He is happy once more." Damian said.

"I'm much happier now that I'm back too." She said.

Damian grabbed her arm.

"That man, that's not Ras Al Guhl. My grandfather was a noble man. This man will never be my grandfather, never replace him." Damian told her, his eyes pleading for her to understand.

She placed her hand on his, and smiled.

"I understand, Damian. His real name is Malcolm Merlin." She said.

"What did he want?" Damian asked.

She frowned, and shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about it Damian." She said.

He studied her for a moment.

"Later. So, where is Father?" Damian asked.

He climbed over her, and laid down next to her.

"He is making some food. Actually, Alfred would be the one making the food, your dad is just the transporter." She said, with a smile.

"Dick was asking about you." Damian said.

"He'll be happy to hear I made it back safely." She said.

Damian rolled his eyes. She exhaled loudly.

"You two might not be blood related, but you two act like you are." She said.

"We do not. We're not family. _I'm_ the blood son." Damian said.

She shook her head.

"Family don't end in blood, it doesn't even begin there. It's those people in your life, that are there for you, have your back, if you're ever in trouble. They love you, for who you are, and they accept you. Your father raised Dick. Dick is close to him. Give it time, and I'm sure you'll get to know him better." She told him.

He studied her for a moment.

"You are unlike anyother person I have met. There is something different about you." Damian said.

"Is that good, or bad?" She asked.

"I feel very protective of you." He said.

She smiled.

"You've got it backwards again." She said.

"I was taught by the best assassins, in the world, I can protect you better than anyone." Damian said.

"We keep going in circles with this issue." She said.

"Indeed, useless to argue." He said.

She laughed.

"You can be very stubborn when you want to be." She said.

"I just know I'm right." He said.

She smiled, and shook her head.

"I should have known you'd find your way in here. Is he bothering you?" Bruce asked, walking into the room.

"Of course not. Damian and I were just talking." She said.

Bruce sat the tray on her lap.

"At least you're talking to _someone_." Brucce said.

He kissed her.

"Thank you for the food." She said.

"While you eat, I'm getting in the shower." He said.

She gave a nod.

"I'll be here." She said.

He gave her another kiss.

"And Damian, be _nice_." Bruce said.

Bruce went to the bathroom. Hope turned the TV on, and found some ond Bugs Bunny cartoons playing.

"You _want_ to watch _this_?" He asked.

"Can you be a _child_ for a little while, and just enjoy it? Trust me, it won't kill you, I promise." She said.

"Of course it won't _kill_ me." He said.

"Just watch it." She said.

They sat there watching cartoons, as she ate the fruit. Every so often Damian would snag a piece of fruit, or a piece of bacon.

They polished off the food, and she set the tray on the night stand. When Bruce finished, he returned to the bedroom, he grabbed the tray, and left the room.

"Damian, I need to speak with you." Bruce called.

"I'll be right back." Damian told her.

She gave a nod.

Damian left. She was alone. She grabbed Bruce's pillow, and held it to her chest. She focused on thoughts of Bruce, to help her from thinking about the man that kidnapped, and tortured her. It also kept memories of Malcolm at bay as well.

Moments later, Damian returned. He wasn't happy about something. He climbed up onto the bed, next to her. She wanted to ask him why he was mad, but knew that he wouldn't want to talk about it. He was like his father.

"This show is stupid. Change it." He told her.

"Just because you don't like it, does not mean it's stupid, Damian. You're upset with your father, please do not take it out on me. If you can't do that, then you'll have to leave." She told him.

He studied her for a moment, then gave a nod.

"I apologise." He said.

"Thank you." She said.

"I have lost interest in this show. May I find something different to watch?" He asked.

She gave a laugh.

"I guess it wouldn't _kill_ me." She said.

He rolled his eyes, but gave a small smile. She handed him the remote. He started flipping through the channels.

He was having trouble finding something. Hope shut her eyes. The flashing pictures were starting to give her a headache.

"Damian, will you give us some privacy, please."

Hope opened her eyes, and saw Bruce standing in the doorway.

"I can't find anything, anyways." Damian said.

"Thank you." Bruce said.

Damian got off the bed, and left the room. Bruce shut the door after him. Bruce walked over to the bed, and got in next to her.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"Nothing is wrong, Hope, I just wanted to spend some time alone with you." Bruce said.

She smiled.

"So, what did you to make Damian upset at you?" She asked.

"I gave him homework." He said.

She gave a laugh.

"You're the meanest person in the world." She said.

"So I've heard." He said.

She shook her head.

He tucked her hair behind her ear, and leaned in and kissed her.

X*X*X


	15. Chapter 15

Hope was starting to wake up. She reached her hand out, searching for Bruce. She found the pillow, but no Bruce. She opened one eye. He wasn't there. She frowned, and buried her face in her pillow. She grabbed Bruce's pillow, and pulled it closer to her. She smiled, as she smelled Bruce's scent. She heard the door open.

"Miss Hope?"

"Good morning Alfred." She said.

"Master Bruce regrets that he couldn't be here when you woke up, but he was called into work." Alfred said.

She gave a nod.

"Okay. I'll be right down." She said.

"Very good. Oh, by the way, Happy Birthday, Miss Hope." Alfred said.

She smiled.

"Thank you Alfred." She said.

Alfred left, shutting the door behind him. Hope exhaled loudly, then got out of bed. She quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a tank top. She ran her brush through her hair, then headed downstairs.

She sat down at the table, and Alfred set the plate of French toast in front of her. Alfred made it for her on her birthday each year.

Alfred went about cleaning. It was just her, alone, at the table. She was all alone. A sadness crept over her. She picked at the food. She'd lost her appetite. She had a hard time not thinking about what Jason had said to her, about getting lonely, because Bruce wasn't around.

He'd been missing when she'd wake up since Batman had brought her back home. It was becoming a frequent thing for him. It was quickly becoming that she would go to sleep alone, and wake up, just as alone. Sometimes, he wouldn't even come to bed at all. It was hard _not_ to feel lonely.

"Miss Hope, you're not eating. Is there something wrong?" Alfred asked.

She forced a smile. She didn't want to worry him.

"I'm fine, Alfred. I'm just not hungry right now. I think that I'll take a walk in the garden." She said.

"Very well." Alfred said.

She left, and headed for the garden. She walked, until she came to the bench, under a tree. She sat down, and watched the flowers sway in the wind.

*X*

She'd lost track of the time, and hours passed, without her realising it.

She jumped, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Alfred told me that you've been out here, all day." Bruce said, sitting down next to her on the bench.

She gave a nod.

"I lost track of time." She said.

"You must be starving. Alfred said that you never ate breakfast." He said.

"I wasn't hungry this morning." She said.

He looked at his watch.

"Why don't you get dressed, and I'll take you to dinner." He said.

She sighed.

"I don't feel like going out tonight." She said.

He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Damian actually wanted to take you to dinner tonight. He was hoping it would cheer you up. He's worried about you. We both are." He said.

"Okay. I'll get dressed." She said.

"Thank you." He said.

They got up, and headed inside. They parted ways on the stairs. She went to the bedroom, stripped, then went to the bathroom, to take a shower. She washed, then got out. She dried, then wrapped the towel around her. She went to her closet, and picked out a dress.

It was pale pink, strapless, and came down to just above her knees. She brushed her hair, deciding to leave it loose. She did her make up, then slid her white heels on. She was taking one last look at her reflection, as there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." She called.

She put the diamond studs in her ears, as Damian walked in.

"You look nice." He said.

"Thank you. Will you help me with my necklace?" She asked, holding it up.

He took it, and turned around, so he could put it on. She moved her hair out of the way, so he could fasten it.

"Thank you." She told him, when he was finished.

"Ready?" He asked.

She gave a nod.

They left the bedroom, and headed down the stairs. Bruce was waiting for her at the bottom.

"You look amazing." Bruce said.

She smiled.

"Thank you." She said.

She leaned up, and kissed him.

"I have a surprise for you." He told her.

"You did not have to get me anything." She said.

"Trust me, you'll love it." He told her.

She gave a laugh.

"Okay. What is it then?" She asked.

"It's in the dining room." He said.

They headed for the dining room.

"Happy Birthday!" She heard all at once.

There was a group of people in the dining room.

"Surprise." Bruce whispered in her ear.

Thea, Oliver, Felicity, John, Dick, Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin were standing around the table. Hope turned to Bruce, and hugged him.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Happy Birthday." He said.

She went to greet her guests.

*X*

After dinner, everything was moved, and a dance floor was created. Bruce took her hand, and led her out onto the floor. He pulled her close, and began dancing.

"Are you happy Hope?" Bruce asked, in her ear.

She smiled.

"Yes. Thank you." She said.

"Are you feeling better? You haven't been yourself since...you got back, and you haven't talked about any of it, to anybody. I'm just worried about you." Bruce said.

"I'm fine, Bruce." She said.

"That's what you keep saying." He said.

She sighed.

"Bruce, do we have to talk about this now?" She asked.

"If not now, then when?" Bruce asked.

She shook her head.

"Bruce, please don't push this." She said.

Bruce exhaled loudly.

"Okay." He said.

"Thank you." She said.

"We will talk though. Soon, correct?" He asked.

She bit her lip.

"Hope?" Bruce asked.

She sighed.

"Yes, soon." She said.

"Thank you." He said.

She nodded.

"May I cut in?" It was Oliver.

Bruce took a step back. Oliver took Bruce's spot.

"Hands where I can see them Queen." Bruce said.

Oliver laughed.

"That's one of Hope's favorite lines to say to me." Oliver said.

"Mr. Wayne, would you like to dance?" Felicity asked.

"Sure." Bruce said.

Bruce and Felicity began dancing. Hope turned her attention to Oliver.

"Happy birthday." Oliver said.

She gave a smile.

"Thanks Ollie." She said.

"Is everything okay?" Oliver asked.

She glanced over at Bruce. He was watching her. She looked back at Oliver.

"Bruce and I aren't seeing eye to eye on things right now." She said.

"Do I have to have a talk with Bruce?" Oliver asked.

She rolled her eyes.

" _That_ is the last thing I want you to do." She said, with a smile.

"There's your smile. Much better. So, what's going on?" Oliver asked.

She shook her head.

"It's nothing. I'm sure we'll figure it out later." She said.

"Okay." Oliver said.

*X*

Hope had danced with everyone. She was starting to feel claustrophobic. She spotted the doors that led to the garden. She was just about to head for them, when Damian walked up to her. She smiled at him.

"Hey." She said.

"You look ready to ditch the party." Damian said.

"I was just thinking about slipping out for some fresh air. Would you like to join me?" She asked.

He nodded.

They slipped out, and started walking to the garden. They sat down on the bench she'd been at earlier.

"Has Father done something to upset you?" Damian asked.

She laughed.

"No, Damian, he hasn't. I think I've upset him." She said.

"I doubt that." He said.

"Why?" She asked.

"You're the only person that he won't get upset with. He's not upset with you." He told her.

She smiled sadly.

"I'm not so sure about that." She said.

"What happened?" Damian asked.

She exhaled loudly.

"Bruce is upset with me, because I haven't been able to talk about what happened to me. He wants me to talk to him, but I can't. I just want to curl up, and forget about _any_ of it happened." She said.

"Because you're not happy anymore." Damian said.

"What?" She asked.

"That's why Father wants you to talk about it. He sees that you're not happy anymore, since you got back. He thinks getting you to talk, will help you start to heal, and you'll start being happy again." Damian told her.

"I know. I can't keep it in forever. I'll talk to him about it, I will. I told him that I'd talk to him later about it." She said.

"And will you?" He asked.

She smiled.

"I'll try." She said.

He gave a nod.

"Good." He said.

She laguhed.

"So, you must be bored. This can't be your idea of fun." She said.

"Even those cartoons you like, are better than this." He said.

She laughed.

"That bad?" She asked.

"Yes." He said.

"Well, you've hid it very well. If you wanted to sneak away early, I'll handle Bruce." She said.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes, just be safe, and don't get into trouble." She said.

"Thank you." He said.

He threw his arms around her, and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around him.

"Enjoy yourself." She said.

He hurried away, and disappeared into the dark. She smiled. At least he was happy. Bruce probably wouldn't be too happy. She exhaled loudly.

Someone sat down next to her. It was Bruce.

"I thought I'd find you out here. You left the party." Bruce said.

"I just needed some fresh air." She said.

"I can't find Damian either. Have you seen him?" Bruce asked.

"He was bored, so I told him that it would be fine to call it a night, early." She said.

Bruce looked worried.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"It's fine." He said.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

He nodded, and took her hand in hers.

"Yes, it's fine. I didn't mean to push you earlier. I'm sorry." Bruce said.

She smiled.

"I understand why, I do. Once the party is over, and we're all cleaned up, and in more comfortable clothes, we'll talk, okay?" She asked.

He gave a nod.

'Well, since Damian got a reprieve, might as well call it a night also." Bruce said.

Bruce stood, and held his hand out for her to take. She put her hand in his, and stood up. Bruce wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him back, then they headed back inside.

Bruce made the announcement, and Hope hugged everyone as they left. Finally, it was just the two of them.

"Head upstairs. I'll be up in a moment. I just need to make a phone call. Ten minutes, at the most." Bruce told her.

She gave a nod.

"Okay. I'll see you when you get up there. She said.

She headed upstairs, as he went into his office. He shut the door behind him. She got to the bedroom, and stripped out of the dress, and all other garments of clothing. She went to the bathroom, and started the shower. She got in, and started washing. She rinsed off, then started on her hair.

She finished her hair, and let the water run over her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. That is, until she felt fingers trail their way down her spine. She smiled, and turned to face him. He held her face in his hands.

"Did you have fun?" He asked.

"Yes." She said.

He smiled.

"Good." He said.

He leaned down, and kissed her.

"Why don't you get out, dried off, and I wash, and join you in a moment." He said.

She nodded.

He kissed her again, then she got out. She dried off, and wrapped the towel around her. She brushed her hair, and finished, just as Bruce shut the shower off. She handed him a towel when he got out. He quickly dried, and wrapped the towel around his waist. She left the bathroom, and headed for the closet.

Bruce grabbed her hand, stopping her. She looked at him. He pulled her to him, and kissed her. He pulled her towel off of her, and discarded it to the floor. He picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around him. He brought her over to the bed, and laid her down. She looked up at him.

"I thought you wanted to talk." She said.

He smiled.

"We will. Later." He said.

He dropped his towel onto the floor.

"Later then." She said.

He got onto the bed with her.

*X*

Hope was laying in Bruce's arms, and he was running his fingers through her hair. She was trying to figure out how to begin. She exhaled loudly.

"Just start from the beginning." He whispered to her.

"I was out running. I was hit on the back of my head. When I came to, I was in a warehouse, chained, inside a cage. There were multiple cages. In one cage was the woman that had been taken right before I was. I think she was dead already. The man took her away, and left. He didn't reurn for days. I was alone, without anything to eat or drink, for days. He was watching me though. He had a camera set up, pointing right at me. I was so hungry. So, when he finally did show up, with food, I ate it. Shortly after that, I fell asleep." She said.

He kissed the top of her head. She exhaled loudly, and cleared her throat.

"When I woke back up, he was carrying me to a table. He laid me on it, and strapped me down. He told me that I would be his masterpiece, that no other would compare to me. He sliced me open for what felt like hours. The pain was excruciating. I passed out from it." She said.

He squeezed her gently.

"What happened after that?" He asked.

"I'd lost a lot of blood. The man was a butcher. When I came to, there was a fight, or something. The next thing I know is the Dark Archer was next to me. He killed the man, and got me out of that place. The _Dark Archer_ saved my life. The Dark Archer, apparently is Malcolm Merlin, who is now going by the name Ras Al Ghul, who he took over for, after Damian's grandfather died. I asked to call you, but he wouldn't let me, and there were no phones on the mountain. He injected something into me, and made pass out. I woke up in water. I was so confused. I didn't know what was going on, I didn't know where I was. Malcolm pulled me out of the water. I passed out again." She said.

She cleared her throat.

"I was completely healed. Everything. Not even scars are there anymore. I don't know what Malcolm did to me, but it's like nothing ever happened to me. He took away all physical reminders of what happened. He told me that I was going to marry him. I refused. I refused every day, multiple times a day. I knew that I had to hold him off, long enough for someone to find me. Even though, all odds were against anyone finding me. One day, Malcolm tells me that I'm not safe. He takes me into a room. Batman, Robin, Arrow, and Flash came for me. Before that though, Malcolm told me that Arrow was supposed to take over for Ras. Ras died, and Arrow stepped down, and let Malcolm take over. Malcolm also knows the identities of Batman, Robin, Arrow, and Flash." She said.

She felt him tense up slightly.

"Did he tell you?" He asked.

"No, well, he did tell me who the Arrow is. Malcolm was caught, and we headed back here." She said.

He wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you." He whispered to her.

He kissed the top of her head. He ran his fingers along her arm. Goose bumps formed, and she closed her eyes. It felt good to be back home. She gasped, when he flipped her onto her back. She looked up at him. He smiled down at her. She put her hand to his cheek.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"For what?" He asked.

She locked eyes with him.

"For everything." She whispered.

He looked a little confused.

She leaned up and kissed him.

*X*

Hope stretched, as she woke up. She reached for Bruce, but he was gone. She looked, and found a piece of paper on the pillow. She exhaled loudly. He was gone. Again.

Jason's image floated to the front of her mind. She frowned and shook her head. She grabbed the piece of paper, and read it.

 _Hope-_

 _I'm sorry that I'm not there, I was called in to work. I will make it up to you, I promise._

 _-Bruce_

She exhaled loudly. She set the paper on the bed, and got up. She found on of Bruce's shirts, and slipped it on. She got it buttoned up, as a knock sounded. Alfred walked in. He was carrying a present. She smiled.

"Alfred, you shouldn't have." She said.

"I didn't, Miss Hope. It was at the door this morning. It's for you." Alfred said.

He handed it to her.

"Thank you Alfred." She said.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Alfred asked.

She shook her head.

"No thank you." She said.

Alfred left. She looked at the present. The wrapping was blood red, and the ribbon was bright white.

Before she could open it, her cell phone rang. She set the gift down on the bed, and grabbed her phone.

"Hello?" She said.

" _Dr. Lake_."

"It's Hope." She said.

" _Sorry Hope, old habits. This is Dr. Daniels._ "

"Hello." She said.

" _Listen, Hope, I need you to come to Arkham._ "

Her heart sped up.

"Why? I have no reason to visit Arkham. I have no business at that place." She said.

" _Hope,_ please _. I need you to come to Arkham. We have new doctors, and they're having trouble with your notes about some of your patients._ "

"Can't we do it over the phone?" She asked.

" _I'm sorry, but no._ "

"Doctor, _I'm_ sorry, but I can't do it today. I have other things I must do. Why don't I call you tomorrow, to schedule something?" She asked.

" _It needs to be today._ "

"I can't today." She said.

Doctor Daniels was starting to sound worried, and a little agitated.

" _Open the gift._ "

"Excuse me?" She said.

" _The gift that has been delivered, open it. You might change your mind._ "

She looked at the present.

"Why? What's inside?" She asked, not wanting to touch it.

" _Hope,_ please _, open the gift._ "

She took a deep breath.

"I want to know what's going on, Doctor." She said.

" _Everything will make sense, when you come in to Arkham._ "

She shook her head. She grabbed the present. She set the phone on the bed, and untied the ribbon. She let it fall from her fingers, and started on the wrapping. She let it fall from her hands as well.

She opened the cardboard box, and found a stained piece of paper. She pulled the paper from the box, but _that_ wasn't the only thing in there. She gasped, as the box fell to the floor. Under the paper had been a pinky finger. She felt sick. With shaking fingers, she unfolded the paper. It was a note.

 _ **The good doctor will die if you don't come to Arkham. Come quickly, or he dies. Do not alert anyone or he dies. Everyone you know will die, if you don't come.**_

She grabbed her phone, and put it to her ear again.

"Steven, what did you do?" She asked.

" _Like I said, everything will be explained when you get here. Are you coming?_ "

She closed her eyes.

"I have to get cleaned up, then I'll be right in." She said.

" _Thank you Hope._ "

The line went dead. She took a deep breath, then picked up the wrapping and ribbon, and threw them in the garbage. She shut the box, and stashed it in the bathroom, under the sink, way in the back, so no one would find it.

She brushed her hair, then went to get dressed. She put on a pair of jeans, and a tee shirt. She slipped on her running shoes, grabbed her cell phone, and headed downstairs, as she put her hair up, into a pony tail.

"Miss Hope?"

She'd been hoping to leave without being seen, but Alfred was always around.

"I'm going for a drive. I want to be alone, and clear my head by my self, in some fresh air." She said.

"Are you sure?" Alfred asked.

She gave a nod.

"Yes, Alfred." She said.

She started for the door.

"Is everything okay, Miss Hope? You seem...upset." Alfred said.

"Bruce and I talked last night. When I woke up today, he was gone. Again. He used to always be there when I woke up. It just stings, my emotions are raw, and I was hoping he would be there, to help buffer the sting, but he was called into work, again. I...I just need to think about some things. I'll be fine. I'll probably just go to the lake, and sit at the shore." She said.

Alfred put his hand on her arm.

"Miss Hope, Master Bruce is a very complicated man. He has many responsibilities. Master Bruce does care about you, very deeply. It's been a very long time since he's cared about anyone that much. Please know that." Alfred told her.

She smiled.

"Thank you Alfred. You're a good man. Bruce is very lucky to have you." She said.

He laughed.

"I have to go, Alfred." She said.

"How long are you planning on staying? Should I make something for you to eat?" Alfred asked.

"I should be fine. However, if I'm not back, or haven't been heard from, by dinner, send a search party." She said.

"I don't like the sound of that." Alfred said.

She smiled.

"I was joking Alfred. I'm sure _someone_ will come find me long before then." She said.

Alfred smiled.

"I'm sure." Alfred said.

Hope gave him a hug.

"I'll see you later." She said.

Alfred nodded.

She left, and headed for the cars, in the garage. She was pretty sure that _all_ of Bruce's cars had trackers on them.

She grabbed the lamborghini keys, and got inside. She started the car, and pulled out. She headed for Arkham. She was praying that it had nothing to do with Joker. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, as she chanted _not Joker_ , over and over in her mind. She didn't know if she'd survive a run-in with Joker, not after recent events. She took a deep breath. She needed to calm down.

In Bruce's car, she made it to Arkham in half the time it normally took her. Bruce did enjoy his fast cars. She parked and exited the car. She locked it, and headed inside.

She went to the reception desk.

"May I help you?" The man behind the desk asked.

"I have a meeting with Doctor Daniels." She said.

The man smiled brightly. The knot in her stomach tightened. The man picked the phone up, and pressed some numbers.

"She's here."

She did not like how he'd said that. The man listened for a moment, then hung up.

"These two guards will escourt you to the doctor's office." The man said.

Two men in uniforms walked up to her. The knot in her stomach tightened more. She gave a nod.

"Follow us." The taller guard told her.

She followed them to the elevators. They rode up to the fifth floor. No one spoke. She was trying to calm her racing heart. She needed to stay calm, while dealing with what was coming.

The door slid open, and they walked out. She felt like they were escourting her to her death. They came to Doctor Daniels' door. The guards stood on either side of the door, with their backs to the wall. She knocked.

"Come in."

She put her hand on the handle. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She let it out, and opened the door. She walked in, and closed the door behind her.

Daniels was sitting at his desk. He had a bloody shirt wrapped around his left hand. He didn't look well.

"I'm here. What the hell is going on?!" She asked.

"Hope, I'm sorry, I had no choice." Daniels gasped.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"Hope, he was going to go after my _family_." Daniels said.

" _Who_ is it Steven?" She asked.

"I'm so _sorry_ Hope."

She closed her eyes, praying to God that it be _anyone_ else. She felt a hand on the back of her neck. It didn't squeeze, it just laid there.

"I'm happy you could make it Dollface."

She felt tears fill her eyes. It was him. She felt a fingertip on her cheek. He was going to kill her.

"Open your eyes Dollface."

She didn't.

"Don't make me wait."

She forced her eyes to open. He was standing in front of her.

"There are those beautiful eyes. I've missed you so much Dollface.

You've been the star of my dreams, every night." Joker told her.

"What do you want? Why did you want me to come?" She asked.

"I wanted to see you, isn't that enough?" He asked.

"There's a reason why you wanted me here so badly. You wouldn't have gone through all of this, just to see me. What do you want?" She asked.

He laughed.

He put his nose to her neck, and inhaled deeply.

"I have a couple reasons. This is one of them. I've missed being this close to you, Dollface." He told her.

He licked her from her collarbone, to her jawbone.

"Let Doctor Daniels leave." She said.

Joker laughed.

"Why would I let _that_ happen?" Joker asked.

"Because, you have what you want. Let him go, then we can talk, in private. Let him go, please." She said.

He studied her for a moment.

"Okay." He said.

She gave a nod. She walked over to the Doctor. She helped him stand, and walk to the door.

"Get that taken care of, quickly Steven." She told him.

"I'm sorry Hope." He told her.

"Good bye Steven." She said.

He walked out of the office, and she shut the door behind him. She was now alone, with Joker. She slowly turned to look at him. He was sitting at the desk, his feet were propped up on the desk, and he had his hands behind his head.

"Come closer, Dollface." He told her.

She walked to the desk. He stood, and walked around the desk.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"No foreplay, Dollface? That's no fun." He said.

"I thought _that_ was what the package was for." She said.

He laughed.

"Oh, I have missed our little chats." He said.

He wrapped his hand around her neck, and pushed her back, until she was up against the wall. She gasped in shock and pain. She opened her eyes, and looked at him. He searched her eyes, and frowned.

"What happened to you?" He asked.

"You mean, besides you?" She asked.

"You're different. Something happened to you." He said.

"I've had a rough year. It was one thing after another, and now it's this. What do you want?" She asked.

"Tell me what happened." He told her.

She exhaled loudly.

She gave him a shortened version of what happened, starting with Scarecrow drugging her, and ended with being saved, then kidnapped by Malcolm Merlin, and his marriage proposal.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Did you marry him?" He asked.

"No. I refused to. Batman found me before he could force me. Batman brought me home, and now, after surviving all that, I'm standing in front of you, unsure of why I'm here, and if I'll make it out of here." She said.

His eyes were locked on hers.

"I'm not going to kill you Dollface. I'm going to give you a choice. You can leave Bruce Wayne, or you can stay with him." He told her.

It was a trick, a trap. It had to be.

"There's more to it." She said.

He grinned.

"If you do not leave Wayne, I will kill everyone that you love." He told her.

Her heart sped up.

"What? Why?" She asked, trying to stay composed.

"When I get out of here, I'll be coming for you, and I don't want _anyone_ standing in my way. If you don't leave him, I will take away _everyone_ in my way. You _will_ be mine." He told her.

This was very bad.

"How long do I have to decide?" She asked.

He squeezed her neck.

"Until I get out." He told her.

"How long is that?" She asked.

He smirked.

"You might want to make it a quick decision, I'm not going to be in here forever." He told her.

"You're going to just let me walk out of here?" She asked.

"You do have to make arrangements. Don't disappoint me, Dollface." He told her.

She nodded.

"I understand." She told him.

"Good." He said.

He pressed his lips to hers. She stayed still, until he pulled away.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Dollface." He told her.

He let her go, and stepped away from her. He held a hand out towards the door. She pushed off of the wall, and left the room. The hall was empty. Both guards were gone.

As quickly as she could, she made it down to the lobby, and out of the asylum. She hurried to the car. She leaned up against the car. She needed to figure something out. She needed a plan. There was only one logical thing she could do, to keep everyone safe. Tears fell from her eyes, as she dialed a number.

" _Hello?_ "

"I need your help, Speedie." Hope said.

*X*

Hope had made it home in one piece. She hurried inside.

"Miss Hope, are you feeling better?" Alfred asked.

"Not really, but I'm sure everything will turn out okay. I'm a little tired, I'm going to take a nap." She said.

He gave a nod.

She headed upstairs. She shut and locked the bedroom door behind her. She pressed redial on her phone.

"How's it going?" Hope asked.

"By the time you get here, everything will be set up. I had to get some help."

"Who?" Hope asked.

"I needed a computer expert."

"Felicity. Will she talk to Ollie?" Hope asked.

"No. I told her that you'd explain everything when you got here. She'll hold off, until she talks to you."

Hope exhaled loudly, in relief.

"Thank you Speedie. I'll tell you more, when I get there. It will be a little longer than before. I don't have Bruce's jet. I'll be there as soon as I can." Hope said.

Hope ended the call, and packed a small overnight bag. She couldn't take much. When that was finished, she wrote a letter Bruce. She told him that she was sorry, that she needed to leave. That she needed time to think about some things, and that she did not want him to try to find her. She would come back when she was ready.

She told him that this was one of the hardest decisions she'd ever had to make. She told him that she loved him.

She folded the paper, and laid it on Bruce's pillow. She grabbed her bag, and cautiously made her way down the stairs. Luckily, Alfred was no where to be seen. She silently made her way out of the manor, and to Bruce's lamborghini. She threw her bag in the passenger seat, as she got behind the wheel. She pulled away, and sped for her new life.

X*X*X


	16. Chapter 16

She parked the car a block away from the loft. Her pone began ringing. It was Bruce. She was surprised that she'd made it this far before he called. She needed to move things along quick now. Bruce wouldn't give up until he had answers.

She turned the ringer off, and got out of the car. She locked it, after grabbing her bag. She quickly made her way to the loft. When she got to the door, she knocked quickly. Moments later, the door opened. Thea looked worried.

"Thank God! Are you okay?!" Thea asked.

Thea hugged Hope.

"Can we go inside, please?" Hope asked.

They went inside. Hope set her bag at the door, as Thea locked it. Thea turned and hugged Hope. Tears fell from Hope's eyes.

"Now, tell me what the hell is going on Hope?!" Thea demanded.

Hope pulled out of the hug, and wiped away the tears.

"Yes, I would like to know why I created a whole new identity and life for you."

Hope turned, and saw Felicity standing there.

"I don't have much time, Bruce will be on his way at any moment. It's the Joker. He gave me a choice, either leave Bruce, or he kills everyone that I love, to get to me. Bruce will never let me go, he'll want to protect me, but that will only get him, and all of you killed. I won't let that happen. To keep everyone safe, I need to disappear. From everything. The Joker made it very clear what will happen if I don't leave." Hope said.

"This can't be the only way." Thea said.

"It is Thea. Please, I don't have much time. Bruce will know I've stopped here, his car is here. I need to be gone before he gets here." Hope said.

"If you talk to Oliver, he could help." Felicity said.

Hope shook her head.

"Ollie can't know. The less people know about this, the better. Please don't say anything." Hope begged them.

"I don't like this, at all." Felicity said.

"Me neither." Thea said.

"There's no other choice." Hope said.

"I can't keep secrets very well. I can't lie, everyone knows when I am." Felicity said.

"Please, I'm begging you! This is life and death. He will kill _everyone_ standing between him and me. When he goes through all of you, he will come for _me_. Once he's done having his fun with me, he will _kill_ me! Felicity, promise me you will do your best to keep all of this a secret." Hope begged her.

Felicity studied Hope for a moment.

"I'll do my best." Felicity said.

"Thank you." Hope said.

Hope hugged Felicity. When she pulled away, Felicity held up a mailla envelope.

"This is everything you could possibly need. Study the information. Thea picked out the location, and I got you a car. If you want to disappear, you'll need to change you hair." Felicity said.

Thea cut and dyed Hope's hair. Her long, ash blonde hair, was now short, and black. During that time, Bruce callled three more times, Damian called five times, and Dick called four times. Oliver and Barry called twice, while Cisco and Kaitlyn called once. Felicity and Thea's phones began to ring.

They made up excuses, and said that they hadn't heard from Hope, yet, but they would let people know when they did.

"Thank you." Hope said.

"We'll dispose of your ID and phone." Felicity said.

"What about the car?" Hope asked.

"We'll think of something. Take this. It's a hundred thousand. It should hold you over for a while." Thea said, holding up a paper bag.

"Thea, that's way too much. I can't take that." Hope said.

"I want you to be taken care of. I also heard what Malcolm did. I'm so sorry Hope." Thea said.

'What?" Hope said.

"Malcolm is my biological father. Please, take it." Thea said.

Hope hugged Thea.

"I would never blame you for anything he did. I love you Speedie, thank you, for everything. I'll never forget this." Hope said.

"I'll bring you to the car." Felicity said.

Hope nodded.

"Good bye Speedie." Hope said.

Hope hugged Thea.

"We should go." Hope told Felicity.

Hope put the envelope in the bag with the money, then grabbed her bag. She followed Felicity outside.

"It's only a couple blocks away." Felicity said.

"We should hurry." Hope said.

Ten minutes later, they got to a green Kia Sorento.

"It's the best I could do, on such short notice." Felicity said.

"It's great, thank you. Felicity, when you see the Arrow, tell him I said thank you, for rescuing me from the mountain. Tell him I called, but refused to tell you anything. I just need to let him know I appreciate everything he's done for me. Will you tell him?" Hope asked.

Felicity nodded.

"I'll let him know. Hope, please, be careful." Felicity told her.

"That's the plan. Good bye Felicity, take good care of Ollie for me." Hope said.

"I'll do my best." Felicity said.

Hope hugged Felicity.

"Be careful Felicity, keep your eyes open on everything. Make sure if Joker comes, that you're ready for him. Do not underestimate him, at all." Hope said.

Felicity nodded.

"Okay." Felicity said.

Hope gave Felicity one last hug, then got behind the wheel. Hope waved, the pulled away.

X*X*X

"Breaking news, tonight there was an accident. Hours ago, a vehicle registered to Bruce Wayne, ran off the road, hit a tree, and exploded. The vehicle was driven by Dr. Hope Lake. Dr. Lake was dead on impact, and burned beyond recognition. Dr. Lake was Bruce Wayne's long-time girlfriend. She borrowed his car, and lost control while driving. Dr. Lake formerly worked at Arkham Asylum. Funeral arrangements are being made by Bruce Wayne. We will report any information on this story, as it becomes available."

She turned the radio off. When Felicity helps, she pulls out all the stops. She was quick about it too. Felicity never stopped surprising her either.

She wiped away the tear that had fallen. Her heart was breaking. This was not how it was supposed to be. Joker had taken _everything_ from her. She would have the last laugh though. He thought she was dead. He'd never have her. She had taken the one thing in this world that he wanted, and now would never have. She won, but she also lost. It was a bittersweet victory since she'd lost everything else that had ever been important to her. Now, she was alone. Now, she would start over.

She drove faster. She wanted to get to her destination, sooner, rather than later.

X*X*X


End file.
